The More Things Change
by justin.jossart
Summary: What if Sasuke had been female? Instead of brotherly rivalry, Sasuke and Naruto share something much deeper. They understand each other in ways that no one else can. Will their bond be strong enough to save Sasuke from herself, or will Naruto follow her into the darkness? Follow an epic saga of love, action, betrayal, and redemption. Naruto/Fem!Sasuke with some Naruto/Sakura.
1. Chapter 1

**Full Summary: ****What if Sasuke had been female? Instead of brotherly rivalry, Sasuke Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki share something much deeper. They understand each other in ways that no one else could. Will their bond be strong enough to save Sasuke from herself, or will Naruto follow her into the darkness? Follow an epic saga of love, action, betrayal, and ultimately, redemption. Naru/FemSasu Some Sakura bashing in early chapters.**

**A/N: I hate, I mean HATE fics where Naruto is overpowered. It's why I stopped watching the show. If you like Demon Jutsu-UBER Naruto, well I'm sorry to say that he won't be making an appearance. If you like GODLIKE-Naruto, well tough luck. He won't be here, either. However, Naruto will be more competent and confident than he was in canon.**

**A/N2: I will try to follow the canon storyline as closely as possible, at least until the time skip. The situations won't change, but the way the two main characters (Naruto and Sasuke) react to the situations will be different. Futhermore, I will be adding in a few new "filler," for lack of a better word, chapters to further establish the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, then he wouldn't have been paired off with a minor character while the pseudo-antagonist got the leading lady. Seriously, first Harry Potter and now Naruto. What is with coupling the main character with someone who has less than 500 lines of dialogue and no impact on the story?**

* * *

Naruto Uzumaki sat at the back of the classroom, twitching in anticipation. He had finally done it. The young ninja had failed the Genin Graduation Exam twice, but outside circumstances had allowed the teen to prove his worth. He would finally realize his life long dream of being a ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Granted, it had almost killed his sensei, but the scarred Iruka Umino couldn't have been too injured if he was already back to teaching. The Chunin had given out team assignments and then left the budding Genin to their fates, though he had given Naruto a discreet thumbs up on his way out.

The other Genins' Jonin-Senseis had already come and gone, taking their students with them. First had been Kurenai, a surprisingly young woman dressed almost exclusively in bandages. Her long, black hair had contrasted sharply with her crimson eyes and pale skin, and Naruto could tell that Kiba Inuzaka was much happier with team assignments after she had shown up. Before the Jonin had arrived, Kiba had been complaining incessantly about being stuck with the two quietest people in the class. To be fair, Naruto didn't think Shino had ever said more than two words in class and the bug user's sunglasses and trench coat didn't exactly scream 'COME TALK TO ME!' The third member of Team Ten, Hinata Hyuga, was weird, too. She had this odd habit of staring at Naruto, but when he called her out on it she would just blush, stammer an apology, and run away.

After Team Ten's departure, a Jonin who had introduced himself as Asuma Sarutobi had shown up. The Jonin had a distinct 'I don't care' look to him, aided be a cigarette jutting from his mouth. Naruto had wondered if the bearded ninja was related to the Third Hokage, but hadn't had a chance to ask him, as he had gathered the Ino-Shika-Cho trio with startling efficiency. Naruto had been a little depressed that he hadn't been on Shikamaru and Choji's team, as they were easily the closest people to friends that he had. Shikamaru Nara and Choji Akimichi were nigh inseparable, even though they were a study in contrasts. The slender Shikamaru didn't seem to care much about anything, but was really smart. Choji, on the other hand, was stout and had a passion for food. The third member of Team Eight, Ino Yamanaka, was loud, brash, and (in Naruto's opinion) the most annoying girl on the planet.

That just left three newly minted Genin left in the classroom. Oddly enough, it was also the only team that had two kunoichi. However, the two girls were polar opposites. Where Sakura Haruno was outspoken and enthusiastic, Sasuke Uchiha was quiet and brooding. Where Sakura took great care of her appearance to impress Kiba (who Sakura and Ino fought over constantly), Sasuke was content to tie her waist length ebony hair in a pony tail and dress efficiently. Where Sakura was great at book work, Sasuke excelled at all aspects of being a ninja, even being the first kunoichi to receive the coveted top rank in the class. Sakura and Sasuke seemed to truly despise each other. Sakura always claimed loudly that Sasuke only excelled to make Kiba look bad, while Sasuke contended that Kiba didn't need anyone to make him look bad: he sucked enough on his own. The only thing the two females seemed to agree on was their dislike of one Naruto Uzumaki. Sasuke always glared at Naruto, almost as if his mere presence was unforgivable. Sakura's dislike stemmed from Naruto's heated (if one-sided) rivalry with Kiba. For as long as the two boys had been class mates, Naruto had been trying (and failing) to one up the young Inuzaka, but was beaten soundly every time, a fact that Sakura rubbed in Naruto's face every chance she got.

The pink haired kunoichi in question was currently pacing the aisles, ranting about their new sensei's lateness. Naruto was getting tired of her high pitched whine already. Sasuke was brooding, as usual, her eyes focused on her pacing team mate. Occasionally, she would turn and glare accusingly at Naruto, as if it was his fault that Sakura wouldn't sit still. The blonde Genin tried to ignore them both, taking out a kunai and balancing the point on the tip of his index finger. It was a habit that he had picked up some time before; a way to keep himself from thinking too much. Keeping the kunai balanced took a lot of concentration, which kept his mind from wandering to less pleasant things. His current record was twenty-three minutes and twelve seconds, and he was hoping that his new sensei would show up before he had a chance to top it.

Almost prophetically, the door to the classroom opened just as this thought crossed the young blonde's mind. The ninja who entered was unmistakably a Jonin. His green flak vest notwithstanding, the man carried himself like he was a badass... and he knew it. His silver hair seemed to defy gravity, and his face was almost completely covered by a black mask. His headband sat diagonally on his head, which served to cover up his right eye. "Sorry I'm late, but I had to save a puppy from drowning. I'm sure you understand." The Jonin's drawl was like the rest of him: laid back and relaxed. "My name is Kakashi Hatake, and I'll be your new sensei."

"LIAR!" Sakura screeched, pointing an accusatory finger. "You expect us to believe that you're two hours late because of a drowning puppy? What kind of morons do you take us for? The only person in the village dumb enough to believe that is Naruto!"

"Shut up, Sakura." Sasuke's quiet voice carried throughout the room. "You're making us look bad." The dark haired Genin glanced at Naruto. "Besides, not even Naruto is dumb enough to buy that lame excuse." Sasuke stood and stretched, her eyes turning to Kakashi. "What now?"

"Let's adjourn to the roof," Kakashi said, pointing a finger straight up. "It has a nice view, don't you think?" The Jonin closed his visible eye in what Naruto assumed was a smile.

Sasuke just gave her trademarked 'Hn.' and strode out the door, her long pony tail swishing behind her. Sakura followed, muttering about late senseis and bad team mates. Naruto sighed and flicked the kunai that he was still balancing on his finger into the air, catching it by the handle. He stood and walked toward the door, stopping as he passed his still smiling sensei. "Don't mind them," the young blonde said. "I think all kunoichi must be a little bit crazy." Kakashi didn't seem to find any need to disagree.

* * *

The three Genin sat on a small set of steps on the roof, their new sensei across from them. Their small perch had forced the team to sit closer than any of them would have liked. Naruto, by virtue of arriving last, had been stuck in the middle of the two antagonistic kunoichi. Despite their differences, all three were staring at Kakashi with similar expressions, a mixture of anticipation and nervousness.

"Now, I think we'd best start by introducing ourselves. The most important part of any team is teamwork, and you can't work as a team without knowing your team." Kakashi looked at each of the Genin in turn, as if he was imparting the most important wisdom he could ever give them. "To give you an example, I'll start. My name is Kakashi Hatake. My likes, well, are none of your business. My dislikes, hmmm... are private. My goals... I don't feel like sharing those. Any questions?" Naruto was pretty sure that Kakashi was joking, but before he could say anything Sakura exploded next to him.

"What was that? You didn't tell us anything!" _And now he never will,_ Naruto thought. The young blonde wasn't quite sure how long he would be able to work with Sakura before losing his temper. She had no self control, and her overwhelming personality threatened to drown out the quieter Sasuke and the more even tempered Naruto.

Kakashi just gave her one of his eye smiles. "You're welcome to show me how it's done, Sakura."

Sakura stood. "You bet I will! My name is Sakura Haruno. My likes... well I really like a certain guy." A blush stained her cheeks while her team mates rolled their eyes. "I dislike Ino because she won't give up and admit that he's _mine._ My dreams..." Sakura got a far off look as her voice tapered off. Kakashi didn't seem put off by her day dreaming and motioned to Naruto.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki. I like ramen, training, and hanging out with Choji and Shikamaru. I dislike braggarts and loudmouths. My goal is to become Hokage, and I won't let anything get in the way of that, believe it!" Naruto had started off talking at a normal decibel level, but had ended up almost shouting by the end, clenching his fists. He noticed Sasuke giving him an odd look instead of one of her usual glares. He imagined that his promise would have been more impressive if he wasn't wearing a bright orange jump suit, but it was all he could afford on his minimal allowance from the Hokage. For some reason the shops in town sold neon orange jump suits at a special discount just for him. He was pretty sure that they were hoping that the orange would get him killed, but beggars couldn't be choosers. He swore that he would buy some new clothes as soon as he got some mission pay.

If Kakashi was impressed by Naruto's declaration he didn't show it. Instead he turned to the team's final member. Sasuke, unlike both Naruto and Sakura, didn't stand. She just leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha. I hate a lot of things, and I don't particularly like anything. I don't have a dream, because I _will_ make it a reality. I'm going to restore my clan, and kill a certain someone." Her onyx eyes burned with barely controlled passion. It was the most passionate that Naruto had ever seen her, and it was actually kind of attractive. Not that he'd ever tell her that in a million years. He liked his boy parts exactly where they were. Kakashi still seemed unimpressed, but nodded along as if Sasuke's introduction was exactly as the Jonin expected it to be.

Sakura finally snapped out of her day dream with a half witted 'Whadimiss?' and all three Genin looked expectantly at Kakashi. "Well, that's enough for today. Tomorrow will mark our first team exercise, and it will determine whether or not I will take you on as students." He smiled at his students' puzzled faces. "Don't you know that there is a final test beyond the Academy Final Exam? If you fail the final test then all three of you have to go back to the academy for a full year." All three of their faces turned from puzzlement to shock. "Meet me at Training Ground Seven at 0700." The silver haired Jonin turned to leave, "By the way, I'd skip breakfast if I were you. You'll just throw it up anyway." With a final jaunty wave, Kakashi hopped off the roof, his students gaping after him.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Didn't expect this up so soon, did you? Well to be honest neither did I. However, reviews drove me to write faster! (Hint, hint) Well that's enough review whoring... ONTO THE CHAPTER! **

**nunchalance: I agree. If I wanted a story where the character was ridiculously overpowered, I'd just rewatch Sword Art Online lol.**

**StrugBlack: I agree. It was actually the picture that made me want to write the story... I also got a very clear image of my head of the story's ending, and I can't wait to share it! As for the length of the first chapter, I apologize, and will strive to do better lol. The point I left it at just seemed like a natural end to a chapter.**

**xXKawaiiNijiXx: So are you annoyed that I'm writing it, or are you annoyed that you read it? I'm confused. If the premise of the story annoyed you so much, then why did you even bother to read or review it? Was it just so that you could vent your distaste? If so, that seems awfully immature of you. When I find a story premise that annoys/doesn't interest me, I don't feel the need to hate on the writer. I understand that different people like different things. The fact that Sasuke's a girl is kind of the driving point behind the story. It's what makes it interesting. That part isn't going to change, for obvious reasons. So either you reviewed to make yourself feel important, or you reviewed to get a reaction from me. If that was your intent, then congratulations. You have succeeded. In the future, please use constructive reviewing. Tell me what parts of the story you disliked, and why. That's how a writer grows and develops his prose. Your review, however, serves no purpose.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. If I did, then two characters wouldn't be ridiculously overpowered! If you think I'm talking about Goku and Vegeta, you're not far off! We have the slightly dimwitted good guy and the sometimes good, sometimes evil, but always stuck up other guy.**

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Naruto, following his sensei's instructions, skipped breakfast the following morning. The last thing he wanted was to be puking his guts out in front of two girls. While he wasn't into either of them _that _way, he was still a boy, and they were still girls. Besides, girls talked. Well, Sakura did, at any rate. Her legendary gossip skills were second only to Ino's, and Naruto was sure that if he messed up at all today that their entire graduating class would know about it before dinner. The rest of the village would know before breakfast the next day. It would be best if he just avoided making any stupid mistakes.

Snorting, Naruto chugged the last of his milk before he dressed for the day in one of his wretched orange jump suits. _I really need to replace these things_, he thought for the millionth time since he bought them. It was really too bad that Gama-chan, his faithful frog wallet, had been bulemic as of late. The frog seemed to cough up money the moment he put it in. The stipend that he received from the Hokage was nice and all, but he was still using kunai he had bought over a year ago. The hard steel had grown soft from frequent sharpening, and they were slightly out balance, which had a direct effect on his accuracy. He also ate more ramen than was probably healthy, and he had to buy milk that was _just_ past the sell-by date because it was discounted.

After completing his morning ritual Naruto started towards Training Ground Seven, his thoughts dwelling on his team mates. Sakura was just as annoying as ever, her constant screaching and complaining had really grated his nerves the day before, and he had no reason to think that today would be any different. Sasuke, on the other hand, had been in full-on ice princess mode, like usual. If he was going to get any traction with his team, he'd need to find some way to make her open up, while making Sakura shut up. Otherwise his time as a Genin would be very trying, indeed.

Not surprisingly, Naruto was the last Genin to arrive at the bridge leading to Training Ground Seven. Both of the girls were unerringly punctual, a habit their Jonin-Sensei didn't seem to share. Sasuke was lounging on one end, watching Sakura pace the length of the bridge. Said kunoichi was once again ranting about late senseis in her shrill voice. Naruto settled himself on one of the bridge's railings and pulled out his best kunai, balancing the weapon on the tip of his finger. He failed to notice Sasuke's gaze flicker in his direction.

* * *

Two hours, and a new kunai balancing record of thirty three minutes and seventeen seconds later all three Genin jumped as a friendly voice called out from behind them. "Yo! Sorry I'm late, but a little girl had lost her way. I had to help her find her way home. I'm sure you understand." There stood their sensei, calm as ever. _I wonder how much gel he uses,_ Naruto thought, admiring his sensei's ever-gravity-defying hair.

Sakura looked about to explode, but Naruto placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. She gave him a questioning look. "It's not worth it," the blonde Genin said simply. "There's no point." Sakura seemed about to argue, but just settled for forcefully shrugging his hand off of her shoulder. Sasuke, on the other hand, gave Naruto a grateful look before turning her attention to their chronically late sensei. Naruto had the distinct impression that Kakashi's tardiness would be ongoing, and that it was something he should plan on dealing with.

"Alright, my cute little Genin, today I have a special test for you. I call it the Bell Test. All you have to do is get one of these two bells by lunch and you pass. If you don't hold a bell, then you fail and have to spend another year at the academy." Kakashi gave the Genin one of his eye smiles.

"Sensei, there are only two bells and three of us. Does that mean that someone is guaranteed to fail?" Naruto asked, cocking his head at an angle. He was having trouble divining the true nature of the test. It didn't seem quite right, but he wasn't quite sure what the deal was. The one thing he was sure of, however, was that it would be idiotic to take the test at face value.

"It would seem that way, wouldn't it?" The masked Jonin quipped. Naruto knew he was getting a hint, but the answer was eluding him at the moment. He blamed it on skipping breakfast. The three Genin followed Kakashi to the middle of the training ground. The area was surrounded by a dense forest on three sides, a small lake on the fourth. Finally, there were several training posts anchored into the ground in the middle of a clearing. "To further sweeten the pot, whoever doesn't get a bell will also miss out on lunch. That person will be bound to one of the training posts and get to watch his or her team mates eat." _And that's why he had us skip breakfast, _Naruto thought acidly. The Jonin gave the trio another eye smiile. "Oh, and in case you were wondering, _no one_ has ever passed this test."

Ignoring the looks of shock on his Genins' faces, Kakashi fixed the bells to his belt and pulled a timer from one of his many pockets. "You have three hours, starting... now." Sasuke and Sakura immediately darted in opposite directions, leaving Naruto and Kakashi alone in the large clearing. Naruto glared at the Jonin, who seemed content to ignore him as Kakashi had pulled out a small, orange book. "You've got to be kidding me. Jonin or not, you can't expect to fight while reading some trashy book." Naruto was getting angry. Not only had Kakashi given them an almost impossible test, but older ninja wasn't even taking the test seriously!

Kakashi favored the blonde with a glance. "i'll put it away if you can make me."

"Fine! **Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Naruto yelled the name of his favorite new technique, his fingers crossed in the form of a Ram hand seal. A dozen shadow clones poofed into existence within a cloud of smoke. All twelve clones screamed a war cry and attacked Kakashi. The Jonin produced a kunai and started repelling the attacks, his eyes never leaving the pages of Icha Icha Paradise. Naruto was awestruck at the way he moved, darting in and out of the clones' clumsy strikes, piercing them with his kunai. The Jonin never even had to block, content with sidestepping and ducking. The blonde knew that he had precious few seconds before Kakashi dispatched his four remaining clones. Rummaging through his hip pouch, Naruto produced one of his few remaining explosive tags and carefully wrapped it around the handle of a kunai knife. Kakashi seemed unaware of his actions; the Jonin was still toying with his last two clones. Both of the clones leaped at the older ninja simultaneously, and Naruto hurled the explosive kunai in sync with their attack.

The resulting explosion was larger than the young Genin had anticipated and the shock wave blew him off of his feet and flying through the air. He hit the ground hard and rolled another few feet before the ground managed to slow his momentum. He struggled to knees as the smoke cleared, looking for any sign of his sensei. Naruto would be shocked if that explosion had so much as scratched Kakashi. The masked ninja wasn't a Jonin for nothing.

"**Leaf Village Secret Finger Jutsu: A Thousand Years of Death**!" Naruto's head whipped around as he heard Kakashi cry the name of some unknown Jutsu. The blonde didn't have time to react as he saw the silver haired ninja streaking towards him, his fingers formed into a Tiger seal. Before this mysterious jutsu could connect, however, a black and blue blur intercepted the charging Jonin, halting his progress and forcing Kakashi to block a well placed kick. Naruto watched in awe as Sasuke flipped over Kakashi's head, aiming a second kick at the back of Kakashi's head.

The Jonin had no trouble blocking the kick, grabbing the dark haired kunoichi by the ankle and tossing her to the ground. Sasuke quickly recovered, flipping into a standing position before streaking towards Kakashi. This time she went low, sliding towards Kakashi's feet and aiming a mule kick at the Jonin's chest. Kakashi blocked this attack as well, once again grabbing her by the ankle. Naruto saw his opening. Kakashi was focused on Sasuke, giving him the chance to throw a pair of kunai at the Jonin's head. Unfortunately, one of the kunai was off the mark, missing wide right, and almost hit Sasuke. Kakashi snagged the second kunai out of the air with his free hand, clutching the weapon between two of his fingers.

"You're getting closer, Naruto, Sasuke, but you're still missing something. You'll have to try harder than that if you want to pass the test." The Jonin gave the pair a smile as he casually tossed Sasuke toward the lake. Suddenly, Naruto _got it_. This test, it wasn't about getting the bells at all! Instead of attacking the Jonin, Naruto circled around Kakashi towards the lake shore, where Sasuke was dragging herself out of the water.

"What were you thinking, loser? I almost had him! You distracted me!" Sasuke was _mad._ Naruto didn't think he'd ever seen her so angry. Her eyes flashing, the young Uchiha pushed her dripping hair out of her face. Her cheeks were flushed, though Naruto couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarassment. Probably both.

"Sasuke, you don't understand! I'm pretty sure there's a secret to the test," Naruto said fervently. "Kakashi-Sensei been dropping hints the whole time, but I've been too dumb to see it until now!"

"You? Dumb? I thought I'd never live to see you admit it. I can die a happy woman now," Sasuke quipped, though she seemed at least partially interested in what Naruto had to say. Both Genin looked to where Kakashi was standing. He was still in the middle of the clearing, and he had his back to them. "Let's not talk about it here. Follow me, if you can." With that she sprinted towards the woods, Naruto hot on her heels.

"Hey! Wait up!" Naruto had a little trouble keeping up with Sasuke. He might have a slight edge in terms of sheer physical strength, but the Uchiha kunoichi was _fast_. She had him completely outclassed in speed. Not that he'd ever admit it. Then again, he didn't have to. Both Genin knew who the superior ninja was. A few minutes later, both Genin were crouched in the branches of one of the giant trees that surrounded the Hidden Leaf Village. Naruto was clutching his side, his breath coming in rapid gasps.

"So, what's this bright idea you had? It had better be good, loser. We're running out of time." Sasuke absent mindedly fingered the leaf headband tied loosely around her neck.

"Well, do you remember what Kakashi-Sensei first told us yesterday? About how teamwork is the most important thing for a ninja?" Sasuke nodded, a look of comprehension crossing her face. "I think that the real test is to see if we can work together."

Sasuke nodded, "I think you're on to something. The fact that there's only two bells available proves it. We're supposed to work together, even though outside circumstances are trying to drive us apart. That's why Kakashi-Sensei said that we were close. We weren't anywhere near to getting either of the bells, but if Sakura had been there..." her voice trailed off.

Naruto looked around. "Speaking of Sakura, have you seen her?" Sasuke shook her head. "Well, we're going to have to find her if we want to pass. I don't know how she can help us get the bells, though."

"Maybe we could throw her at him as a distraction?" Sasuke grinned as Naruto laughed.

"I know! We'll call it the **Leaf Village Secret Weapon Jutsu: Wailing Banshee of Terror**!" Naruto saw Sasuke fighting to hold in a giggle, and for some reason he really wanted to make her laugh. He thrust out his chest and struck a heroic pose. "We'll be feared throughout the Elemental Nations! Enemy ninja will cower before us! They'll run screaming as they try to save their poor ear drums!" This time Sasuke _did_ laugh, and Naruto decided that it was the best thing he had ever heard. It was a musical, enchanting sound, and the blonde Genin was determined that he would make her laugh as often as possible.

Sasuke was still smiling. "You know, it would be dangerous to our side as well. It would have to be labeled as a Forbidden Jutsu, only usable in the most extreme circumstances" It was Naruto's turn to laugh.

* * *

The two Genin found Sakura a short time later. All they had to do was follow her screams. When they finally reached her, the pink haired kunoichi was curled into a fetal ball, crying. She kept muttering something that sounded like 'Kiba-kun' under her breath over and over.

_SMACK!_

"Snap out of it, Sakura. Whatever you saw was undoubtedly a genjutsu." Sasuke and Naruto's easy comraderie had faded as swiftly as it had appeared, and Sasuke had settled back into 'Ice Princess' mode. Sakura glared at her team mate, rubbing her cheek. She seemed like she was about to start yelling at Sasuke, but Naruto quickly cut her off, explaining the true purpose of the bell test. Sakura agreed to work with them, but only after Sasuke had agreed to relinquish one of the bells if they were wrong. Naruto had offered, but Sakura was adamant that _Sasuke _be the one sent back to the Academy. The two kunoichi had glared daggers at each other, while Naruto stood nervously between them, all but forgotten.

The three Genin had taken up positions surrounding Kakashi, hidden in the dense forest surrounding the clearing where the masked ninja was still standing. With only a few minutes left, all three knew that they would only have one shot at getting the bells. _Here we go, _Naruto thought, taking a deep breath. He was the point man, it was his job to get the Jonin's attention and keep it by any means possible. He pushed his fingers into the Ram seal, shouting "**SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!**"

Over two dozen clones popped into existence in a puff of smoke. Just as before, they all charged, their war cry echoing across the clearing. Kakashi didn't even look up as he began fighting them. "This technique won't work, Naruto," the Jonin stated calmy, ducking beneath a clone's wild punch. He rabbit punched the clone in the stomach, ending it's brief, violent life. Kakashi didn't even notice the six clones coming up from behind. They latched onto his legs like giant ticks, holding the masked ninja in place.

"**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu**!" Sasuke's voice rang out over the clearing. The kunoichi had leapt high into the air, and Kakashi's eyes widened as he looked at a giant flaming ball of death arcing towards him. Producing a kunai, the Jonin dropped his book and moved with blinding speed, quickly putting holes in each of the clones holding him down. Kakashi barely had time to leap out of the way before the fireball exploded, incinerating all of the remaining clones, as well as Kakashi's precious book The Jonin rolled to his feet, one hand stretching towards the still blazing inferno.

"MY BOOK! You brats destroyed it!" So intent was Kakashi's rage that he didn't notice Sakura nab the bells from his belt until it was too late. "Wha-?" The Jonin turned to see his three Genin standing side by side. Sakura was sticking her tongue out at Kakashi, even while she was smiling. Sasuke just smirked, while Naruto had giant goofy grin on his face. "YOU!" Kakashi's killer intent washed over them, lightning streaked across the suddenly dark sky. The three Genin's eyes widened in fear, and Sakura crossed her arms in front of herself for protection. All three Genin closed their eyes shut, sure that they were about to die horrible deaths. "Pass." Naruto cautiously opened his eyes. The sky had returned to it's normal blue, and Kakashi was giving them a closed-eye smile. "Congratulations! You are now officially Team Seven!" The clearing was drowned in the sound of their cheers.

* * *

**A/N: NEXT TIME ON THE MORE THINGS CHANGE: We will finally meet the infamous Kiba! Hinata will blush! Shino will stand in stoic silence!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well, here we are. We are finally going to meet the infamous Kiba. Fair warning for Kiba fans, he's going to be kind of a jerk. (And by kind of I mean a lot) We'll also see some great Naruto/Sasuke interaction. As always, thank you to those who reviewed last chapter!**

**A/N2: A further warning, this is where the story starts to get a little more mature. Up until now, it could have firmly fit in the K-K+ range, but starting with this chapter the story will certainly earn its T rating. Since I suck at writing lemons, I'll be able to keep this rating through the rest of the fic.**

**R-Rated: Ask and ye shall receive. This chapter is longer than the first two put together, and is the longest I've ever written. I'm pretty sure it's the best, too. I'll let you be the judge.**

**Dragoon698: Naruto will learn the secret of the Shadow Clone Jutsu shortly before the time skip. Since I don't plan on him harnessing the Kyuubi's power at all in this fic, for reasons that will be explained soon, I'll be using alternative methods to keep Naruto even with Sasuke. Having the two be equals is essential to the plot of the story. Any time these two duke it out, it should be able to go either way.**

**princessgothicfull: You're very welcome! Thank YOU for the review. A lot of people don't know how much they mean to authors. A favorite or a follow is nice, but taking thirty seconds to write a review really makes an author's day, even if it's just to say that you liked the chapter. I'm not review whoring, I swear ;)**

**infurno: Thanks for the review! I'll try to keep updating as quickly as possible. This story is kind of consuming my every waking thought at the moment, and I have so many ideas and images in my head for this fic!**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. If I did, then Kakashi would have taught his students more than tree climbing during the time that he actually had a team.**

* * *

Team Seven strolled away from their training ground in good spirits. Naruto was still grinning like a loon, Sakura was humming to herself, and Sasuke had a small smile on her face. Naruto was happier than he had been in a long time. After Team Seven had passed Kakashi's infamous Bell Test, the blonde Genin had convinced the entire team to meet at Ichiraku Ramen. Kakashi said he would meet them there, but Naruto had the feeling that the Jonin wouldn't arrive until everyone else had almost finished their food.

Naruto liked the simple restaurant for a multitude of reasons, but mainly because the owner, Teuchi, had never once been mean to him. His daughter, Ayame, had also always been kind. The Ichirakus were good people, and always made Naruto feel like he was welcome. Sometimes the ramen stand felt more like home to him than the cold, empty apartment that he lived in. When the group arrived at the restaurant, Naruto made his way over to his favorite stool at the bar. He always sat at the bar because he didn't want to make Ayame bring him a dozen bowls of ramen.

After everyone had ordered, the three Genin started talking about the bell test, and what kind of training Kakashi would be giving them. Naruto was sure that Kakashi would teach them all kinds of cool jutsu, while Sakura argued that their sensei would probably try to improve their teamwork and chakra control first. Apparently she had read that those were the first things that pretty much every Jonin sensei taught a new team. Sasuke didn't feel the need to join the conversation, but seemed content to watch her team mates argue back and forth.

After everyone had their fill (some more than others) Sakura took off, claiming that her parents would worry if she didn't get back home soon. That left Naruto and Sasuke standing in the middle of the street, both looking rather awkward.

"Do you ever wonder what it's like?" Naruto blurted out, breaking the silence. Sasuke arched an eyebrow and started walking down the street, her long hair sashaying behind her. Naruto jogged to catch up, and the duo walked side by side. After another sufficiently awkward silence, Naruto tried again to break the tension. "I meant that _I _ wonder what it's like, sometimes. I wouldn't know how it feels to have someone worry about me if I came home too late."

"It's annoying." Sasuke's mouth had set into a hard line, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "They always nag you, tell you what to do. There's a million different rules and you don't have a say in any of them."

"I'm not a big fan of rules..." Naruto began, but Sasuke cut him off.

"You don't realize how much you rely on those rules until no one's around to enforce them. Parents are like a safety net. As long as they're around, you have someone to pick up the pieces if you fail. You have someone to celebrate with. You have expectations to live up to. They drive you to succeed." Naruto didn't think that Sasuke was talking to him anymore, at least not really. "When they're gone, you feel lost." The ebony haired Genin turned to her team mate. "If you ever find someone who makes you feel like that, don't ever let them go. You never know when they'll be torn from you." Naruto nodded, making a resolution to talk to Iruka-Sensei. He wouldn't take the Chunin's friendship for granted. "I don't know what it's like to have never known your family, but I'm willing to bet that losing everyone you ever cared about is much worse. To know how it feels to be loved, then lose it all... I can't think of anything worse." Naruto silently disagreed. To be hated by everyone was worse. Having to endure their cold stares, the whispering behind their hands was horrible. However, in Naruto's opinion, there was one thing that was worst of all: Being alone. Having nobody around who cared. It was something that he and Sasuke had in common. Sasuke had never been popular in their class. The girls didn't like her because she wasn't into gossiping and boys. The boys didn't like her because they didn't like getting beat up by a girl on a daily basis.

Sasuke stopped in front of a large apartment complex. It was fancy, much fancier than the slum that Naruto lived in. "Goodnight, Naruto. Thank you for walking me home." She was about to say something more, but decided against it. Naruto watched her enter the building and disappear.

"Goodnight, Sasuke."

* * *

Team Seven was trudging through town after completing their first week of D Rank missions. Naruto and Sasuke had both been extremely upset that they would be expected to do menial labor, though for different reasons. Naruto had been expecting a quest to save a princess from an evil king, while Sasuke insisted that picking up trash was beneath her. She was the scion of the Uchiha, not a garbage man. Even worse, Kakashi had forbidden Naruto from using his shadow clones to do the work. ("How else will you learn?") Sakura had been quiet for most of the time they were together, a welcome change for the entire team. Even Kakashi seemed to enjoy the relative silence. Naruto didn't know what had brought on this change, but he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. The pink haired kunoichi seemed lost in thought, only half paying attention to what she was doing. She also excused herself from the team immediately after Kakashi released them for the day.

Nevertheless, the missions had been successful, and Naruto had happily stuffed his hard earned cash into Gama-chan. However, he didn't plan on keeping the frog full for long. Today was the day that he could afford new clothes. He knew he wanted to keep _some_ orange, but he definitely wasn't going to be covered in the color. If only he had enough money to get some new kunai, too. He had never cared for shuriken too much, preferring the weight and feel of kunai. Besides, a kunai was more versatile. It could be used in both close combat and at a distance. Lost in thought, Naruto stepped into one of the few ninja shops that would sell to him. He had originally thought that people would start treating him differently once he had entered the Academy, but sadly that had not been the case. If anything, people started treating him worse, as if he was an explosive tag just waiting to go off. Naruto found that he didn't care so much anymore. He had Iruka-Sensei. Naruto and the scarred Chunin had an odd relationship. Iruka was equal parts father figure, older brother, and teacher. Sometimes Naruto felt that the word 'sensei' didn't quite cover how important Iruka was to him, but he couldn't think of a more appropriate term. Kakashi-Sensei was cool, too, but in a more distant way than Iruka. The Jonin would often offer Naruto good advice on any number of subjects. The masked ninja had traveled the world and even been in a war; he knew a lot about a lot of things.

Eventually Naruto's thoughts drifted to Sasuke. She had been closed off lately, even more than usual. It had started the day after he had walked her home. He suspected that Sasuke had shared more than she had intended, and now felt uncomfortable to be around him. Naruto shrugged. There was nothing he could do about it, so he shifted those uncomfortable thoughts to the back of his mind. Instead he focused on selecting an awesome new outfit. He made sure to buy multiple sets; he was awfully rough on clothes.

* * *

The next morning Naruto was the first one to the bridge off of Training Ground Seven. The bridge had become the unofficial meeting place for the team, and the blonde immediately took his usual spot on one of the railings. Naruto felt like a million ryo. He had spent over an hour selecting his new clothes, and he felt cool for the first time in his young life. He was wearing a short sleeved hooded sweatshirt, navy blue with a burnt orange trim around the hood and pockets. He wore the hood down, and the hoodie was only half zipped, showing a black mesh shirt underneath. He had labored for several hours sewing the Uzumaki swirl on the back of the jacket. His forearms were covered by a pair of navy blue arm warmers, also with burnt orange trimming. He was also wearing a pair of black shinobi pants, taped at the bottom, with an orange stripe down the side. His kunai holster was strapped on his right thigh, while a pair of black ninja sandals completed the look. He had considered buying a new, longer headband, but had ultimately decided against it. Iruka-Sensei had given him the one he currently wore, and Naruto was loathe to replace it. He was sure that Sasuke would be impressed by his new look either way. _Now where did that come from?_ The blonde decided that he wasn't ready to delve into that train of thought, so the cerulean eyed Genin pulled out a kunai and started to balance it on his finger. He had beaten his record earlier this week with an amazing forty eight minutes and twenty two seconds. Depending on how late Kakashi was this morning, he was sure that he could beat it.

* * *

Sasuke and Sakura walked toward the bridge in silence. The kunoichi still didn't care for one another, but they happened to be coming from the same direction and going to the same place at the same time. Sasuke couldn't tell what Sakura's deal was. She hadn't been herself since the night at the ramen stand, and the pink haired kunoichi didn't seem keen on sharing. Normally Sasuke wouldn't care, but things had been almost too quiet since Sakura had distanced herself from the rest of the team. Before, Naruto and Sakura would be going at it like cats and dogs with Kakashi moderating. Now, the team was efficient but cold. Sasuke wasn't sure if she cared for the change. She shook her head to clear it as they reached the bridge.

Both kunoichi were shocked to see that Naruto was already there. Furthermore, the blonde genin had traded in his horrible jumpsuit for some new clothes. Sasuke fought to keep a blush from rising to her cheeks as she realized that Naruto was _hot_. Who knew that he was hiding such well-developed muscles underneath the bulky jumpsuit? It seemed as if Naruto hadn't realized that the girls had arrived, or that Sasuke was ogling him. Instead, his deep blue eyes were focused on the kunai that he was lazily balancing on his finger. Sasuke tried to look away, but her onyx eyes kept moving back to the blonde of their own accord. _Keep your cool, Sasuke. No matter how hot he is, he's still just Naruto_.

"Wow, nice look, Naruto." Sakura was also ogling the blonde, except she was much less discreet than Sasuke. The attention caused Team Seven's only male to blush. Sakura giggled and toyed with her long, pink hair. "It's too bad I'm in love with Kiba-kun."

_Thank kame for small favors_. Sasuke thought, shooting Sakura a glare and flipping her long pony tail over one of her shoulders. She didn't think she could stand it if Sakura went full-on fangirl over Naruto. _Not that I'd be jealous. It'd just be one more annoying thing about Sakura. Kame knows this team is annoying enough already._

Thankfully, Kakashi chose that moment to show up. If he noticed Naruto's new outfit he didn't show it. "Yo! Sorry I'm late. I had to help a baby bird with a broken wing get back to its nest. I'm sure you understand." Sasuke just rolled her eyes. Their sensei's excuses were getting lamer by the day.

* * *

Naruto flipped the kunai he was balancing on his finger and caught it with a practiced motion. He was surprised that Kakashi was only a few minutes late. Normally the team would be waiting her for another hour, at least. He hoped that they would be doing something cool today. D Ranked missions were good for Gama-chan, but they were hard on Naruto's pride. Scrubbing dog crap out of the Inuzaka kennels while Kiba watched and smirked had easily been one of the most degrading moments of his short Genin career. The worst part was when Akamaru, Kiba's puppy, had relieved itself on Naruto halfway through. Naruto had to spend the rest of the day smelling like dog piss. He had burned that particular jump suit the moment he got home.

Kakashi led the three Genin into the Training Ground proper. Naruto and Sasuke shared an excited look. Normally Kakashi took them to the Hokage tower to get a mission. Going to the training ground meant they would be learning something. Of the three Genin, only Naruto and Sasuke seemed interested in learning new Jutsu and getting stronger. Sakura seemed content to finish her D Rank mission and go home, probably to call her friends and catch up on the latest gossip around the village. Sasuke usually stuck around for an extra hour or two, beating on the training posts. Naruto usually stayed late into the evening, punching and kicking until his knuckles were bloody and his shins were numb. If he was being completely truthful with himself, Naruto didn't really know what he was doing. He knew how to throw a punch, but he was sure that if he could get the forms right that he'd hit a hell of a lot harder. It was just so hard to learn from the complicated scrolls that Iruka had given him. The older Chunin had looked sincerely apologetic when Naruto had gone to him for help with his Taijutsu forms, but Iruka had claimed that the Hokage had doubled his workload since Mizuki had turned traitor. Until Mizuki was replaced, Naruto would be on his own. Iruka had ruffled Naruto's hair and promised that he would help him as soon as he could, if only the blonde would hang in there.

"Alright, my cute little Genin, we're going to warm up with some sparring. Afterwords, I'm going to teach all of you a new trick." Kakashi had captured all three Genins' attention.

"What are you going to show us? Some new badass Jutsu?" Naruto could barely contain his excitement.

Kakashi sighed. "Not exactly. However, I guarantee that what I'm going to show you is vital to being a good ninja." Naruto was a little disappointed, but quickly shook it off. Learning something was better than nothing, after all. "First off, we'll have Naruto face Sakura. Taijutsu only. Start and stop on my mark." Naruto and Sakura nodded and faced each other, while Sasuke perched herself on one of the training stumps. Naruto wasn't sure if he wanted to face Sakura. Fighting Sakura was different from sparring with Sasuke. Sasuke was a fighter, the best in her age group. Sakura was more of a _girl. _"Start."

Sakura immediately hopped backwards, settling into a defensive posture. Naruto just stood his ground. It was bad enough that he had to fight Sakura. Did he have to be the aggressor, too? _Too quote Shikamaru, this is troubling_. Sighing, Naruto charged Sakura half heartedly, throwing a wide, looping haymaker, which Sakura neatly ducked under. Instead of pressing her advantage, however, the kunoichi just took a few steps back and resumed her defensive stance. _This is going to get annoying really fast. _Naruto charged again, throwing the exact same punch with the exact same result. _At this rate we'll be here for hours._ _Fine, I guess I'm going to have to be a jerk and hit a girl_.

Naruto charged again, faking another right handed haymaker before spinning into low leg sweep. The kick caught Sakura by surprise, and the kunoichi felt her legs fly out from under her as she landed on her rear. She rolled backwards and regained her footing before charging Naruto. Her punches and kicks were crisp and accurate, but weak. Naruto was able to either block or absorb all of them without any trouble, before grabbing Sakura's arm and pulling her towards him. She tried to pull away, but his superior strength won out, and Naruto was able to force her into a rather painful arm lock. Naruto didn't usually use any submission holds, but he figured that the arm lock would be better than just pummeling her face in. Regardless, she cried out in pain, and Naruto was about to let go before Kakashi's voice rang out. "Stop. That's enough. Sakura, your technique is good. However, your physical conditioning leaves a lot to be desired. Have you been training?" Sakura shook her head. "Start training. Physical fitness does more than increase speed. The better shape you're in, the more chakra you'll have. Limited chakra capacity is already a weakness for you. You should be doing everything in your power to rectify that as much as possible." Sakura muttered a response, but none of the others were able to make out what she had said. "I'm sorry Sakura, you'll have to speak up."

Sakura blushed furiously. "Kiba-kun doesn't like girls that are too muscular."

Kakashi facepalmed. This fan girl business was starting to give him a headache. Reigning in his anger, Kakashi focused his single visible eye on hers. "Is this a game to you, Sakura? Do you want to die in the field?" Sakura shook her head. "Then you WILL do as I tell you. I don't care what 'Kiba-kun' likes. I care about keeping you alive. I won't have you jeopardizing the team or the mission because of a school girl crush. Do you understand me?" Sakura nodded, blinking away tears. Kakashi's voice softened. "Good. If you have any questions about training regimens, you can always come to me." Sakura nodded again before turning away. Kakashi rounded on Naruto. "Naruto, your conditioning is good. I assume that you've been training?" The blonde Genin nodded. "Good. Keep it up. It was smart to use your superior strength to overpower your opponent. However, whoever showed you how to fight obviously didn't know what he was doing. Most enemies would have been able to break out of that arm bar easily." Naruto's face fell. "You need to work on your technique. Start with the basics. Don't just hit the training stumps. Practice the katas and forms. Your punches should be as crisp as Sakura's. If you need access to the Academy forms, the library has all of them. You can check them out free of charge."

"I've tried going there. They won't let me through the doors." Naruto felt ashamed to admit it, but he was desperate for any kind of help.

"I'll talk to the head librarian personally. When you go there tomorrow, you won't have any problems." Naruto seriously doubted that, but decided to keep his mouth shut. Kakashi turned to Sasuke, who had watched the short spar without interest. "Sasuke, you're up against Naruto. Same rules as before." Sasuke nodded as she and Sakura switched places. "Ready? Start."

Sasuke immediately charged Naruto with blinding speed. Naruto barely had time to block the leaping roundhouse kick before Sasuke spun backwards, nailing the blonde across the face with a backhanded fist. Naruto absorbed the blow, trying to grab her like he had Sakura, but the kunoichi was already out of range. Smirking Sasuke lunged again, this time with a flurry of lighning fast punches and kicks. Naruto was able to block half of them, dodge a couple more, but had to eat a fist to the jaw. Before he could recover, he felt the wind knocked out of him courtesy of a knee to the solar plexus. The blonde doubled over and winced, expecting a follow up strike that never came. Sasuke seemed content to give him time to recover as she examined the nails on her left hand.

"Ready for more, loser?" Sasuke smirked when Naruto had finally regained his breath..

"Don't get cocky," Naruto griped.

"What an intimidating comeback! I'm quivering in my sandals." Her dark eyes danced with mirth and she flipped her pony tail. "Come on, then. Show me what you've got."

It was Naruto's turn to go on the offensive. Instead of throwing a punch or kick, however, the blonde barreled into Sasuke, tackeling the kunoichi. The unorthodox move caught her by surprise, and both Genin went to the ground. They grappled back and forth, rolling in the dirt as each tried to gain the upper hand. Finally, Naruto was able grasp both of her wrists and force them up and away from her body so she couldn't get any leverage. He rested the bulk of his weight on her slim waste so she wasn't able to kick free. Naruto grinned, "I win." Sasuke's cheeks flushed, and their eyes locked onto one another's. The world fell away as time stood still. _Kame, her eyes are pretty. I think I could just lose myself in them forever... _ Sasuke gazed up at him from lowered lashes, and Naruto started to slowly lower his face to hers...

"Stop." Kakashi's voice snapped both Genin out of their trance. Naruto suddenly realized the compromising position they were in. His eyes bulged. Sasuke was a _girl, _and he was straddling her, while pinning her arms above her head. He had almost _kissed _her; their faces were mere inches apart. Sasuke seemed to reach the same conclusion he did.

"Get off me, loser!" She snarled, and Naruto quickly acquiesced her request. Blushing, both Genin gained their feet and faced their sensei, who looked halfway between amused and exasperated. Sakura was staring at them, her green eyes wide.

"Done with your little groping session?" Fresh blushes all around. "Good. Naruto, same notes as before. You have physical talent, but you need to go back to the basics. Nice... improvisation to subdue your opponent." Naruto didn't trust himself to speak. "Sasuke. You did very well. Your technique was flawless and your speed was excellent. Your strikes didn't pack as much power as they could have, but that's something you'll likely be fighting your entire career. As it is, your strength is above average for your age and gender. However, I would recommend that you avoid grappling at all costs. Most of your opponents will be like Naruto. They will try to physically overpower you, and you can't allow yourself to fight on their terms. If you find yourself in a similar situation again, disengage as quickly as possible."

"Yes, Kakashi-sensei."

"Good. Now, since you've all been good little Genin and danced for my amusement, I'm going to teach you a new skill."

Naruto blinked. "Sensei, aren't Sasuke and Sakura going to spar?"

The Jonin shook his head. "There's no point. Sakura and Sasuke know what they need to do to improve. I hate to say it, but pitting Sasuke against Sakura wouldn't exactly be fair." Sakura seemed a little put off by this, but she couldn't exaclty argue the point. Of everyone on the team, she was by far the weakest. "Now, as I was saying, it's time to learn a new technique. Today, we're climbing trees," he said grandly. He looked at his students blank faces before continuing, "_without _using our hands."

* * *

The tree climbing exercise had been especially difficult for Naruto. The problem, Kakashi had told him, lay with his enormous chakra reserves. While most Genin could feel the very slight drain on their chakra that the exercise required, for Naruto it was like taking a bucket of water out of the ocean. Therefore, he had trouble guaging the amount of chakra needed to succesfully adhere to the tree, while not using to much. It would take a lot of hours using trial and error to get a feel for the exact amount. However, the problem went further than just the tree climbing exercise. He'd would have to use the same system for ALL of his jutsu to get the best effect, barring, of course, the **Shadow Clone Jutsu**. He could pump as much chakra as he wanted into the jutsu and it would just result in more clones. However, regular illusory clones, the henge technique, and even the substitution would have limited effectiveness or outright fail if he poured too much chakra into them. A small part of Naruto wanted to just forget those techniques and just focus on mastering jutsu that required more chakra, but he knew that he needed these techniques. There was a reason that they were taught to every single ninja that went through the academy.

Further adding to the list of problems that his outlandishly large chakra pool gave him, he had learned that it would make him especially weak against Genjutsu users. Genjutsu worked by influencing an opponent's chakra network, and Naruto was unlikely to notice the subtle manipulations until it was far too late. Furthermore, even if he DID realize he was in a Genjutsu, he would have difficulty dispelling it. Dispelling Genjutsu was as simple as momentarily stopping your chakra flow. For most ninja, that was a relatively easy task, like clogging a small stream. For Naruto, it would be like damming a wide, raging river.

However, if Naruto were able to overcome these deficencies then he would be a force to be reckoned with. His large chakra reserves, which had so far caused him so much trouble, would enable him to keep fighting long after anyone else fainted from chakra exhaustion. He could also potentially learn any high level jutsu and use them much more frequently than anyone else. Naruto decided to look at it like a blessing. He could learn how to deal with chakra control problems. It would be difficult to master manipulating such miniscule amounts of chakra, but it wasn't impossible.

LINE BREAK

Kakashi Hatake was had tried not to show it during the day's training, but Naruto's chakra reserves had bothered him. Even considering the his lineage and tenant, there was no way that the boy should have so much chakra. The Jonin made his way towards the Hokage Tower. Despite his usual apathy, Kakashi felt that this developement should be reported immediately. After checking in with the Hokage's secretary, a cute brunette who favored Kakashi with what she obviously thought was a seductive smile, he was led into the Hokage's office.

"Kakashi! To what do I owe this pleasure?" Hiruzen Sarutobi was obviously advancing in years. His face was covered with a thin web of wrinkles, and his voice had the hoarse quality of a man who had lived a long time and had laughed often.

"Hokage-sama, it's about Naruto and his burden." The Hokage's face immediately sobered.

"Tell me everything."

* * *

The members of Team Seven were exhausted. After the tree climbing practice, Kakashi had moved on to conditioning. This involved a lot of running and calisthenics. After that, their merciless sensei had given them a long lecture about team tactics. Following the lecture, he had quizzed them with hypothetical scenarios, which had been as mentally tiring as the day's earlier training had been to their bodies. The problem was is that the quiz didn't have any one _correct_ answer, just a few _possibly correct_ answers and a whole host of wrong ones. The team hadn't done nearly as well as they would have liked, but it had given Sakura a chance to shine. Her bookish knowledge, which normally annoyed her team mates, had been useful for once. More than often than not, she was responsible for any _possibly correct_ answers that they had come up with. Sasuke had also been a major contributor. Naruto, on the other hand, had remained quiet most of the time, occaisonally throwing out a creative solution that neither of the kunoichi had thought of.

Little did they know, but a secondary purpose of the exercise was to build their team work and open lines of communication between team mates. Sasuke and Sakura, distracted from their normal feud, had managed to get along for an entire afternoon.

The team was trudging towards the outskirts of the village proper. Naruto was half-supporting, half-carrying Sakura, who had been drained far more than the others from the day's exertions.

"Well, well, what have we here?" The team turned to face the speaker, though Naruto knew who it was just from his voice. There stood Kiba Inuzaka, flanked by his team mates, Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyuga. Kiba was the tallest boy from their graduating class, easily towering over all three members of Team Seven. His cheeks had the red customary Inuzaka triangles tattoo'd on them, and he wore nothing beneath his grey jacket, which was fully unzipped, showing off an impressive physique. Shino was completely silent. He was only an inch or so shorter than Kiba, and Naruto had a hard time reading him. The high collared trench coat and sunglasses didn't help. The final member of Team Eight looked like she just wanted to melt into the ground. The petite kunoichi's normally pale face looked like a giant tomato.

"What do you want, Kiba?" Naruto demanded, his voice tinged with anger. He wasn't in any mood for the Inuzaka's games.

"Oh, I don't want anything. I was just going to walk on by, but Hinata here _had_ to say hi to you, didn't you Hinata?" The boy drug the aforementioned kunoichi into the spotlight with an evil smirk. Hinata's face got even more red, a feat that Naruto didn't even know was possible.

"H-h-hi N-naruto-kun." Her eyes were downcast.

"Hi Hinata." Naruto said, gently. The blonde turned back to Kiba. "There. Are we done? We've said hi."

Kiba laughed. "That's it? That's all you have to say to your soul mate?" Naruto's eyes lost focus as he tried to work through what Kiba had said. Soul mate? Unfortunately, Kiba seemed to be in a sharing mood. He reached into his kunai pouch and pulled out a small leather bound book.

"MY DIARY!" Hinata yelled, lunging for the book, but Kiba grinned as he held it up and out of her reach. Hinata made several leaping grabs for the book, but the laughing Inuzaka just held it even higher. "GIVE IT BACK!"

"You shouldn't leave things just laying around Hinata. Besides, don't you think that Naruto deserves to know how you feel? After all, you are the future Mrs. Hinata Uzumaki, right?" Hinata stopped reaching for the book and turned towards Naruto, blushing furiously. "It says so right here, in fancy lettering and everything..."

"That's enough Kiba! Leave her alone! If you're looking for a fight, all you have to do is ask. You don't have to torment other people to get to me." Naruto was enraged. He hated all bullies, but he despised Kiba most of all. Normally the dog trainer was content to pick on Naruto in private. This was a new low, even for him.

Kiba smirked, "But it works so well." Kiba tossed the book to HInata, who ran away in tears. Naruto couldn't believe that he had done such a thing to his own team mate. And the fact that Shino hadn't done anything to stop him...

"What's wrong with you? Both of you! She's your team mate! You're supposed to have each other's backs! You're both lower than trash," Naruto quoted Kakashi's favorite saying.

Shino didn't seem perturbed by the insult. "It's none of my business. I'm going home. Don't injure yourself, Kiba, or sensei will be upset. Sasuke, Sakura, it's good to see you are well." With that the Aburame calmly walked away.

_I don't think I'll ever understand that guy_, Naruto thought. He turned his attention back to Kiba. "So are we going to do this? Or are you going to walk away with your tail between your legs now that it's three on one?"

"Naruto, don't... You can't beat him. There's no point in trying." Sakura stopped leaning on Naruto and stood between the two boys. She turned to Kiba, her eyes pleading. "Kiba-kun, please leave Naruto alone... for me?"

Kiba laughed again. "Wow Naruto, just when I think you can't get any more pathetic. Now you have to have a girl beg to save your scrawny hide?"

"Sakura, get out of the way. Sasuke, don't interfere. This is my fight. I'm going to pound him into the ground!" Naruto swore to himself that he would win this time. Kiba would pay for what he had done to Hinata!

"Fine."Sasuke was trembling with barely controlled rage. It took everything she had not to slit Kiba's throat. Who did this little prick think he was?

Sakura just sighed and moved out of way. A fight between Naruto and Kiba seemed to be inevitable. It had always been like this. _I don't know why Naruto picks fights with Kiba-kun. The day he wins is the day I'll cut my hair._

"Well, Naruto, let's get your weekly beat down over with. Remember, the safe word's 'I'm a loser.' I won't stop 'til you say it." Kiba cracked his knuckles before charging Naruto.

Naruto was more than ready for him. He leaned back, letting the Inuzaka's initial haymaker pass less than an inch from his nose. His blonde hair rustled in the stiff breeze that the attack left behind. The smaller Genin lashed out with a side kick but Kiba blocked it, both arms encircling Naruto's leg. A smirk on his face, Kiba lifted the leg sharply into the air. Naruto started to fall backwards, but he planted one hand on the ground and swung his other leg at the Inuzaka with all of his strength. The kick connected, but not solidly, and the bigger Genin was able to absorb the blow with minimal damage. He did end up dropping Naruto's leg, though, so it wasn't a total loss.

Without Kiba supporting him, Naruto fell heavily to the ground. Naruto rolled the side, barely dodging Kiba's retaliatory axe kick. Naruto leapt back to get some breathing room, forming his hands into what was quickly becoming his favorite hand seal. **"SHADOW CLONE JUTSU!**" Twelve clones appeared in a puff of smoke, charging the Inuzaka boy immediately. Kiba laughed.

"Looks like you finally learned how to use the Clone Jutsu, Naruto! Congratulations on your mastery of an Academy Level technique!" His laughter quickly died as the first clone landed a leaping haymaker. Kiba had no more time to taunt Naruto, as he fought all twelve clones simultaneously. It helped that the clones didn't exactly work well together. They often got in each others' way, leaving themselves open for Kiba's counter offensive. After the dust settled, Kiba was still standing, but he looked significantly worse for wear. He had taken several blows to the face and chest, and there was a gash that looked suspiciously like the work of a kunai on his left forearm. "Well that was a new trick. It looks like I might actually have to bring out the big guns. **Fang Whirlwind!**" Kiba flew at Naruto with blinding speed, spinning so fast that the dust kicked up by the technique turned into a miniature tornado in the shape of a drill surrounding the Inuzaka. Naruto was unable to block the blow and was thrown back, grimacing in pain. The moment that he had regained his feet, Kiba came around for a second pass, this time drilling into the Uzumaki's back. Thrown off his feet again, Naruto tumbled along the ground, cutting his forehead on a particularly jagged stone. The cut was deep, and blood flowed freely down his face. Naruto staggered to his feet, only to get nailed a third time by the Inuzaka's family jutsu. Over and over again, Naruto would barely get to his feet before getting hammered. Finally, Naruto lacked the strength to stand. He was barely able to get to knees. The world around him was shifting between full color and black and white, and he felt nauseous. He lifted his head to see Kiba standing in front of him, his face twisted into a sneer.

"Just say it, Naruto. Tell everyone here what you are." Kiba knew that Naruto would rather die than admit to being a loser, but it was always fun to try.

"Go screw yourself," Naruto said, spitting a mouthful of blood on Kiba's jacket. He was rewarded with a crushing kick to his temple. Robotically, Naruto struggle to stand again. He was just able to make it to his hands and knees. Coughing up another mouthful of blood, Naruto spat to try to get the metalic taste out of his mouth. He hurt everywhere, and was bleeding from what felt like a million different places. His new jacket, the one he'd been so proud of, was torn to shreds. The Uzumaki patch, given to him by the Hokage himself, was unrecognizable. Iruka's old headband had been ripped from his head and was damaged beyond repair. His blonde hair was matted with blood, and he was pretty sure that one of his ribs was broken. The last thing he had was his pride, and he'd be damned before he let the Inuzaka take that, too. He had sworn to make Kiba pay for what he'd done to Hinata, and he _never_ went back on his word.

"I'm not going to lose! Not to you! NOT AGAIN!" With a tremendous effort, Naruto forced himself to his feet. He tried to fix the Inuzaka with an intimidating glare. The effect was somewhat dampened, though, due to the fact that he was swaying back and forth, dizzy from blood loss and a severe concussion. He stumbled forward and threw a weak punch at Kiba's face, Laughing, Kiba just leaned out of the way before slamming his own fist into the blonde's stomach. Naruto almost lost his footing, but Kiba had him by the collar...

"NARUTO! PLEASE JUST SAY IT!" Sakura's high pitched voice caused them both fighters to pause. "Say whatever he wants you to say! It doesn't matter if it's true or not!"

Kiba turned to Naruto, still holding the smaller boy up by his collar, his other fist raised. "Well? Are you going going to take Sakura-chan's good advice?" Naruto just smiled.

"Do your worst, asshole." Naruto was past caring at this point, past _pain_,

Kiba smirked again, "I was hoping you'd say that." He drew his fist back, but his vision was suddnely filled by a pair of obsidian eyes. What really drew his attention, however, was the kunai pressed against his throat.

"If you so much as twitch, I'll kill you." Sasuke's voice was deadly calm, but her eyes were filled with rage. Somehow, Kiba knew that the dark haired Uchiha wasn't lying, so he did the only thing he could; he stayed perfectly still.

"Drop him. Now." Naruto fell heavily to the ground. "Leave. Before I change my mind about slitting your throat." The Inuzaka obeyed the command like the dogs he trained, backing up slowly until he was out of Sasuke's range. His brown eyes flashed with half a dozen emotions, but in the end he turned tail and ran, Akamaru trailing behind him. The last thing Naruto saw before losing consiousness was a pair of dark eyes filled with concern and framed by beautiful black hair.

* * *

**JUTSU LIST:**

**Fang Whirlwind: Think Fang Over Fang, but less powerful and only one drill.**

* * *

**A/N: I warned you! Kiba's an asshole in this fic. Blame it on the fact that he's got fan girls fawning all over him, or that he's heralded as the Genius of the Inuzaka Clan. Either way, the guy's a first class dick. For those of you wondering, Sasuke's prolonged inaction was by Naruto's request. She stepped in once the fight was over, but before Kiba could do irreparable damage. To those of you who think that Naruto seems weak, remember that Kiba is one of the worst possible matchups for Naruto at this point. Kiba is bigger, stronger, and more skilled than Naruto. He will have to do some serious training to be able to best his rival. It should make the Chunin Exams fun, though. Finally, I just wanted to point out that **_**my **_**version of Kakashi actually trains his Genin.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I can't tell you how much the feedback helps! This is going to be a "down" chapter. The action will be pretty sparse, but we will push the plot forward. Don't worry, next chapter starts the Wave Arc, which is almost directly followed by the Chunin Exams, followed by the Tsunade Retrieval Arc, followed by... well let's not get ahead of ourselves. The point is, enjoy the down time while you can! Things really heat up starting next chapter.**

**Firelord Nigga: I'm glad you like the story, and while I'm aware that Kakashi trained and bonded with the team off screen, the fact remains that they didn't learn very much. Naruto's taijutsu was just as atrocious in the Chunin exams as it was when he fought Mizuke, full of wide, looping punches that any competent martial artist could take advantage of. Don't worry, I'm done bashing Kakashi. He's arguably my favorite character in the anime, along with Shikamaru and Minato.**

**Dbzfanficreader: The Kyuubi, in my opinion, was a plot device used to boost Naruto's power to equal any foe he could possibly face. He defeated a lot of enemies (Haku, Gaara, Neji, even Sasuke during the retrieval arc) that he really had no business beating with his skill level, and that's just in Part 1. In fact, the only major fights I don't remember him pulling out the Kyuubi's chakra was the fight with Kiba in the preliminaries and Kabuto during the Tsunade retreival arc. I'll try to fix that in this fic. When Naruto wins a fight, it'll be off of the strength of his own back. While Naruto's ceiling may be lower than in canon, his every day fighting skills will be better.**

**Harco8059: I like her, too. I think that FemSasuke and Naruto compliment each other well and make for an interesting couple.**

**R-Rated: Thanks again for the review! I'm glad that last chapter's length was more to your liking. Now that I'm in the swing of things, for this and any future chapters, you can expect a length between 5k and 8k words.**

**thedarkshark24: Remember, Naruto was exhausted before the fight started. Furthermore, Kiba isn't that much more powerful than in canon. The only way Naruto was able to beat him during the Chunin Preliminaries was a well timed gastric release. Kiba's Fang Over Fang had Naruto pretty much beat until that point. Naruto tried to be clever, but the Fang Over Fang eventually won out. It's too fast for Naruto (in canon, and at this point in the story) to dodge, and is too strong to block. Furthermore, it doesn't seem to exhaust its user, as Kiba used it repeatedly in the Chunin Preliminaries. It's a surprisingly good technique, and Naruto will have to work his tail off in order to overcome it. **

**myulander: Thanks!**

**Miss Luny: I'm glad that you like it! The fight scenes are by far the easiest to write for me, as I can get a clear picture in my head of what is going on. I have a much harder time on the parts where people are just talking. That's why it takes me longer to write chapters that aren't focused around a big fight scene.**

**evil-pain: No need to apologize. Everyone is entitled to their own opinions. Naruto will be getting MUCH stronger throughout the story. In fact, he's getting a boost in this chapter...**

**Guest: Thank you for the review! I can say without a doubt that Naruto will NOT be learning kenjutsu. He will be learning a great deal about Fuinjutsu and wind jutsu, with some supplementary techniques that are of other chakra natures. After all, it doesn't really matter that he has to use more chakra to use, let's say, fire jutsu. He has all the chakra he could ever need.**

**LordGhostStriker: I have never, and will never, write a story that includes rape. That is a line a refuse to cross. I know that it happens, but I think it is possibly the worst thing a person could do to another. To take what should be the most beautiful thing in the world and corrupt it so completely is just evil, and I will not in any way attempt to glorify it.**

**Thanks again everyone for your reviews, but I want to give a special shout out to Majin-kun, who really went above and beyond what any writer could expect for a review. I've been able to bounce a few ideas off of him, and he's been very insightful and has helped out a lot. (I'm assuming Majin-**_**kun**_** is a he, though I may be wrong)**

* * *

Naruto woke up in a strange room. The room was mostly white, with harsh flourescent lighting, and was sparsely decorated, just a bed, a few chairs, and a pair of flashing monitors. _The hospital, great_, the Genin thought as he tried to sit up. Sharp pain lanced up his right side, making him grimace. Naruto carefully cataloged his injuries. The top of his head was wrapped in bandages, as was his upper torso. His arms and legs seemed to be uninjured, if sore. Naruto had always hated the hospital; it always felt cold, even though the temperature never dipped below a comfortable 65 degrees. The blonde idly wondered who had brought him here. It had probably been Sakura and Sasuke.

Naruto couldn't help but relive his fight with Kiba. The larger boy had beat him, again. The fight had started pretty even; Naruto had even gained a slight advantage, but he had quickly learned that he wasn't the only Genin with a new Jutsu. The **Fang Whirlwind** jutsu Kiba had used had been too much for Naruto. It was blindingly fast and hit like a hammer. Naruto had tried to block it, but the drilling whirlwind had tossed him around, anyway. The blonde clenched his fists. He had failed. He had promised that he would make Kiba pay, but had instead looked like a fool in front of his team mates. They must be laughing at how weak he was.

"I will get stronger if it's the last thing I do. I will never lose to Kiba again," Naruto swore, his voice solemn. It was a promise he was determined to keep, no matter the cost. He had no idea _how_ he would get stronger, though.

"Ah, Naruto-kun. It's nice to see that you're awake." His sulking interrupted, Naruto turned to see a medical ninja holding a clipboard. Naruto had met the him the last time he had been admitted to the hospital, though the blonde couldn't remember his name. Ka-something... The medical ninja had silver hair, a shade or two darker than Kakashi's, and tied into a loose pony tail. He was also wearing glasses, though Naruto didn't think that they fit that well; he was constantly pushing them higher on the bridge of his nose. The young man was more than a few years older than Naruto, though the blonde couldn't tell exactly how old her was; probably some where around seventeen or eighteen. "You had us worried there for a while. You've been unconscious for almost two days now."

Naruto's eyes bulged. "Two days?" He'd never been put down for so long. In fact, every time he'd been hurt he had always been back at full strength after a good night's sleep. Either Kiba had beat him more than Naruto had originally thought or there was something else going on.

"It's not uncommon for someone with head trauma to be incapacitated for an extended period. In fact, you seem to be healing faster than we expected," The silver haired medic paused. "However, you're most like going to have a scar from that nasty cut you got on your head. By the way, are you feeling up to receiving visitors? You have several important people who asked to be told the moment you awakened."

"Yeah." Naruto couldn't think of anything else to say, but the one word answer seemed to satisfy Ka-whatever-his-name-was. The bespectacled Genin just checked a few moniters, jotted a few notes on his clipboard, and left after wishing Naruto a speedy recovery.

Less than half an hour later, the door opened again. In trooped Kakashi, the Hokage, and another man that Naruto had never seen before. The man was dressed outlandishly, all in bright reds and had an enormous scroll strapped to his back. Instead of the customary leaf headband, the man wore a horned headband with the kanji for "oil" on it. He also had long, wild, snow white hair. The man dwarfed both the Hokage and Kakashi.

"Naruto, how are you feeling?" The Hokage asked, his voice somber. Naruto had never seen the old man so serious.

"I'm okay, just a little shaken up. I think I'm ready to go home." Naruto was anxious to get out of the hospital. He hated being there, and hated receiving visitors even more. He always felt like a lab specimen on display.

The Hokage waved a hand dismissively. "That is a decision for the medics. Do you care to explain to us how you were injured? Your team mates have not been very forthcoming."

Naruto paused. He wasn't sure how much he wanted them to know. "I was... sparring with a classmate and it got out of hand. It won't happen again. Who's he?" Naruto asked, changing the subject and pointing at the tall white haired man.

"How rude of me. Naruto, I'd like for you to meet Jiraiya. He is one of the three legendary _Sannin_ of the Hidden Leaf Village. He was once my student, but has surely surpassed all of my expectations for him. In fact, he is the world's greatest Fuinjutsu Master." Naruto suspected that he was supposed to be impressed, but he had no clue what Fuinjutsu was.

Kakashi noted the blonde's confusion. "Seals, Naruto. Fuinjutsu is the study of seals. You should be interested in learning about them. The Uzumakis were known and feared for their expertise in the field. It's why the Village Hidden in the Mist all but destroyed the clan in the last war. They wiped out the entire Village Hidden in the Whirling Tides just to do it."

Naruto tried to process this information. He had never given much thought to his last name. He knew that he had parents, and desperately wanted to find out who they were, but he had never considered that he was one of the last members of his clan. He suddenly felt a deep anger settle over him. The Hidden Mist Village was the reason why he grew up alone. He was sure that _someone_ would have been a close enough relative to take him in after his parents had died in the Nine Tail's attack. He would have had a family. He suddenly felt so alone. He had no clan and no parents. He was the last Uzumaki. _This must be how Sasuke feels._ Naruto thought with a flash of insight. "So my clan was from the Hidden Whirling Tides Village?" Kakashi nodded. "Can I go there?"

The question seemed to take the three older ninja by surprise. "Naruto," the Hokage began, "the village is nothing but ruins now. You are needed here. I promise that you can visit your ancestral home at a later date, but for now I ask for your patience." Naruto's face fell. "I know how much family means to you, Naruto, and I will keep my promise. You have my word."

Naruto's eyes filled with determination. "Well, then I'll have to learn all I can about Fuinjutsu! If that's what my clan is known for, then I want to do them proud!"

"I can help you there, kid." Jiraiya said with a smile. "I know a few things on the subject, after all." Kakashi gave the _Sannin_ an annoyed look, one that the older ninja didn't miss. "Don't worry Kakashi, I'm not stealing your student. I'll just show him a few things here and there about seals during his free time."

Kakashi still looked irritated. "Aren't you leaving the village again soon, though? I'd hate for you to get Naruto's hopes up and disappear in a few days."

"Nah, I think I'm going to stick around for a while. It'll give me a chance to remind myself what I'm fighting for. Besides, there are _other_ issues that need to be taken care of." Jiraiya's last statement was filled with hidden meanings, though Naruto hadn't the slightest idea of what he meant. _Other issues?_

However, the Hokage and Kakashi didn't seem to have any problems deciphering the cryptic statement and Naruto didn't feel quite bold enough to demand an explanation. However, there was another question that he had been dying to ask since the visitors had entered his room. "So, I appreciate getting a bed side visit from the Hokage and all, but what are you and Jiraiya doing here? I don't think that you go around visiting everyone in the hospital."

The Hokage turned towards Naruto, and the Genin realized for the first time how _old _the Hokage was. "Kakashi gave me a rather interesting report the other day. Tell me, Naruto, have you ever suffered from chakra exhaustion?" Naruto shook his head. "I didn't think so, not with what Kakashi told me."

"What's going on?" He demanded. "What did sensei tell you?"

Kakashi looked to the Hokage, who just nodded. "Naruto, you have larger chakra reserves than anyone in the village, the Hokage included. You could combine the chakra reserves of every Jonin in the village, and it still wouldn't match yours." Kakashi stated simply. "I doubt there's anyone in all of the Five Nations who can rival them, even other Jinchuriki."

"That's a good thing, right?" Naruto asked, not sure where the conversation was going.

Jiraiya settled himself in one of the chairs, propping his feet on Naruto's bed. "It's like this, kid. You shouldn't have that much chakra. It's not natural. We think it has something to do with the hairball inside you, which is why the Hokage asked me to come. I'm the only person in the Hidden Leaf who could even begin to comprehend the seal that the Fourth Hokage used to stop the Nine Tails, much less make adjustments."

"So... You're worried that the seal is breaking?"

"That's right, kid. You catch on quick. Now do me a favor and take off your shirt." Naruto did as he was asked. "Now channel some chakra for me."

Naruto closed his eyes and reached into the vast ocean that was his chakra reserves and started pushing the chakra through his network. He opened his eyes to two shocked faces. "What?"

Jiraiya didn't look surprised in the slightest. "It's as I suspected, Sarutobi. Minato's seal work was even better than we could have hoped for. Congratulations kid, you're no longer a Jinchuriki. The Nine Tails is gone."

"I'm sorry, but I don't get it. Where did it go?" Kakashi asked. scratching his head.

"I can't say for certain, but it looks like Minato added something to the seal that would leech the NIne Tails' chakra and add it to Naruto's chakra reserves. The Nine Tails is a being completely made up of chakra. Once Naruto siphoned it off, the demon essentially died. I can't believe that I didn't think of doing that for Kushina's seal." Jiraiya leaned his head back, closing his eyes. "Minato truly was one of a kind. I've never seen anyone just _get_ Fuinjutsu like he did. It was actually a little annoying. He'd understand in minutes concepts that took me days to comprehend."

"So the Nine Tails is gone for good?" Kakashi asked, hope creeping into his voice.

"I can't say for sure, but my best guess is no. It's an immortal demon. Eventually it'll come back, but it's definitely not something we'll have to worry about in our life time, or even our children's life time." The legendary ninja stood. "Well, now that that's out of the way, I'm going to go continue my research. My books don't write themselves, after all!" He turned to Naruto and tossed him a small, leather bound book. "I'll find you once you've recovered. Until then, read this. It has all the information you need to get started on Fuinjutsu."

Naruto caught the book and looked at the cover. _The Idiot's Guide to Fuinjutsu, by the Legendary Jiraiya_. He looked up to thank the _Sannin_, but Jiraiya was already gone.

* * *

Naruto checked out of the hospital the following morning. The blonde had been relieved when they had taken the bandages off of his head and there hadn't been a scar. The medics seemed all to happy to get rid of him, whether that was because of his former tenant or his loud complaining was anyone's guess. He had started reading Jiraiya's book, and the blonde was amazed at all the things that seals could accomplish. The possibilities were astounding, limited only by one's chakra reserves and imagination, both of which Naruto had in spades. He had never even known that explosive tags were seals, much less that the formula could be adapted. A seal master could alter the tag to explode on contact, by proximity, or any other number of situations. Even the size and force of the explosion could be altered. Naruto wondered why _everyone_ didn't dabble in Fuinjutsu. It was actually pretty easy to understand. Certain symbols meant certain things, but those meanings changed when combined with other symbols. However, the changes always made sense. There was a certain logic to it that Naruto found fascinating, and he was going to spend his next mission pay on some sealing paper. Sure, it would delay purchasing new kunai, but a single roll of sealing paper could turn into a veritable arsenal in the right hands. Furthermore, making your own explosive tags was a lot cheaper than buying them. The only downside was that many seals had to be made in advance. After all, it was hardly feasible to stop in the middle of a fight and start drawing. Naruto suspected that that was why Jiraiya carried the large scroll on his back.

Naruto breathed deeply, enjoying the fresh air. That was one of the things he hated most about the hospital: the air tasted stale from constant recirulation. That and the boredom. Besides the visit from the Hokage and company, Naruto had only had one other visit. Shikamaru and Choji had come after completing their daily D Rank mission and the three Genin had spent all afternoon joking and laughing. Shikamaru had eventually gotten Naruto to play a couple games of _shogi_ with him, and Choji had watched the blonde lose while the Akimichi had munched on some chips. It had been a pleasant afternoon, all told. Naruto was a little offended that his own team hadn't come to see him, especially Sasuke. The nurse had told him that she had hardly left his side while he had been unconscious; she had apparently only left when the hospital staff forced her to at the end of visiting hours. However, since he had woken up she hadn't come at all. Naruto didn't think he'd ever understand women, especially Sasuke.

Naruto was currently on his way from the ninja apparel store he had purchased his clothes from. He had to buy a new headband since his was shredded while fighting Kiba. The leaf plate had been salvaged, if a little dented and scuffed, so Naruto wouldn't be completely replacing Iruka's gift. The blonde decided on a long, navy blue band that would hang below his shoulders after it was tied. He affixed Iruka's plate to it as he walked towards the bridge to meet his team. He would be late, but would probably still get there before Kakashi.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha hated that her sensei was constantly late to everything. She had always been extremely punctual and his tardiness offended her. It didn't help that he would never show up at the same time: Sometimes he'd be there twenty minutes after the appointed meeting time, others he wouldn't show up for two hours. He'd always spout some lame excuse, then they'd go get their mission.

Sakura had arrived shortly after her, and the two kunoichi had pointedly ignored the other. Their dislike of each other had soared to new heights since Naruto's fight with Kiba. It had started when Sakura had come to visit Naruto while he was still unconscious.

_FLASHBACK JUTSU!_

_ Sasuke was sitting by Naruto's bed side, brooding. She felt guilty that she hadn't stepped in sooner. It was her fault that Naruto was hurt so badly. She was just trying to give Naruto the chance to beat his rival... How could things have gone so wrong? Seeing him lying there was killing her. He was so normally full of life and laughter. She started as the door opened behind her. Sasuke turned to see a concerned Sakura standing in the doorway._

_ "You aren't welcome here, Sakura." Sasuke snarled, turning back to Naruto._

_ "He's my team mate, too you know. Just because you're crushing on him doesn't mean I can't visit him." Sakura sounded offended and surprised at the same time._

_ "I'm NOT crushing on Naruto," Sasuke spat heatedly._

_ "Please. You've got it bad. You would have let him kiss you if Kakashi-Sensei hadn't stopped him." Sakura smirked smugly. "Not that I blame you. He IS really hot, in a big mouthed kind of way. Maybe I'll give him him a go. You wouldn't mind, would you? Since you obviously don't like him that way and all."_

_ "You don't know anything!" Sasuke mind was whirling. DID she like Naruto? She found him attractive, that's for sure. She had been impressed by his progress. She had kind of liked how powerless it had made her feel when Naruto had pinned her during training... The dark haired Genin blushed and shook her head. "Even if I DID like Naruto like that, it's not why I don't want you here."_

_ "Luckily for me, I don't care what you want. I'm here to see my team mate and _he_ would want me to visit him." Sakura sat down in the chair farthest from Sasuke._

_ "Do you really think he'd want you here? After what you did?" Sasuke's onyx eyes flashed in anger_

_ Sakura looked confused. "What do you mean? I didn't do anything."_

_ Sasuke let out a short laugh, "Oh really? So you didn't tell him to beg at Kiba's feet? You didn't tell him to give up? You don't know him at all. Naruto never gives up. He'd rather die." Her eyes softened as she gazed at the blonde. She repressed the urge to stroke his whiskered cheek. His heart was one of the things she liked most about him. The word 'quit' wasn't in his vocabulary. She turned back to Sakura. "Kiba and Naruto are never going to get along. Kiba's an asshole who took advantage of Naruto's exhaustion. Naruto could have won that fight if he'd been at the top of his game, but that's not the point. You chose your side. Now you can live with the consequences." Sakura seemed close to tears. "Leave, and don't come back. I'll work with you since I have to, but as far as I'm concerned you're no longer my team mate."_

_END FLASHBACK JUTSU!_

As far as Sasuke knew, Sakura hadn't returned to the hospital during Naruto's stay. The two kunoichi hadn't so much as spoken since the incident, but Sasuke didn't care. Kakashi had tried to get the two girls to interact, but both kunoichi had just glared at each other. The Jonin was forced to let the situation resolve itself and hope that they didn't kill each other.

* * *

Naruto resumed his customary perch on the bridge's railing. He had approached the bridge in high spirits, but he could tell something was wrong. Sasuke was in a moody silence, while Sakura kept looking at him like a wounded puppy. The air was thick with tension. The blonde rubbed his temples. Couldn't things ever just be happy? Why was there so much drama on this team? He knew from Shikamaru and Choji that Team Eight was virtually drama free. He suspected it came from having two kunoichi on the team (though he'd never voice that opinion aloud).

"So... uh... how have you guys been?" _God I'm lame_. _I might as well have started discussing the weather._

"Hn."

"Fine."

Naruto decided that maybe a more personal approach was needed. He turned to Sasuke. "So... uh... thanks for having my back with Kiba, Sasuke. And thanks for visiting me while I was in the hospital."

"Hn." Naruto took that to mean: 'You're welcome, Naruto. I trust and respect you as a valuable member of the team.'

"It meant a lot," he continued. _Maybe if I keep talking to her she'll start talking back._

"Hn."

The blonde resisted the urge to scream. How could anyone be this infuriating?

"Yo!" _Thank kame, Kakashi's here!_ "Sorry I'm late, but I had to keep an old lady from falling down the stairs. I'm sure you understand."

"Hey, Kakashi-Sensei. What are we doing today?" Finally! Someone who was willing to talk!

"D Rank mission." Naruto sighed. He _did_ need the money.

* * *

The mission was absolute torture for Naruto. Kakashi had taken off almost immediately after they had arrived, leaving the Genin to do all the work. His team mates had barely said two words all day, though Sakura had kept her kicked puppy look. He was more worried about Sasuke. He normally got along well with the dark haired Uchiha, and had no clue what he'd done to piss her off. After several hours of cleaning the Leaf Village's stables the team had returned to the tower to receive their pay.

"Good work team. Meet up at the same time tomorrow. Naruto, would you mind staying? There's something I want to talk to you about." Naruto nodded as Sasuke and Sakura turned to leave. He was sure this had to do with the Nine Tails.

"Sure thing Sensei, I just need to do something real quick."

Kakashi frowned. "All right, but meet me in fifteen minutes at the training grounds. Don't be late, because I won't be." The masked Jonin was gone in a small puff of smoke.

Naruto took off running down the street he knew led to Sasuke's apartment. It was mid-afternoon, and the streets were far from empty. He searched for almost ten minutes, but was unable to find any sign of her. Sighing in defeat, Naruto broke out in a dead sprint towards Training Ground Seven. He'd just talk to Sasuke in the morning.

He bridge came into view with only moments to spare. He wasn't sure if Kakashi was going to meet him there or at the training ground proper; the Jonin hadn't been very specific. However, all thoughts of Kakashi were driven from his mind by a familiar figure standing on the bridge. Sasuke was leaning on the railing, watching the stream flow by beneath her. Her long dark hair was loose from its normal pony tail and framed her face prettily. If it weren't for the soft breeze dancing in her hair, she could have been a painting. Naruto slowed to a walk as he approached her.

"Sasuke. What are you doing here?" He was standing behind her now, hands in the pockets of his hoodie.

"I wanted to apologize." Naruto was thoroughly confused. What on earth did she have to be sorry for? "I should have stepped in sooner with Kiba. I should have protected you. It's my fault you got hurt." She still hadn't even turned around. "It's all I've been able to think about. That's why I didn't come visit you yesterday. I know you were probably wondering."

"I... I don't blame you Sasuke. I asked for you to let me fight on my own, remember?" It hadn't crossed his mind that Sasuke blamed herself for his injuries. He laid an awkward hand on her shoulder. What was he supposed to say to that?

"I know. I just... I _wanted_ to watch you beat Kiba. I wanted to see you win more than anything. I kept hoping that you'd pull something out of your ass at the last minute like you always do." She had finally turned to face him, her dark eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"I'm sorry..." Naruto's face fell. He hadn't thought that losing to Kiba would have let down his team. He felt her warm hand on his cheek. Blue eyes met black. Again, the world fell away as time stood still. He could almost tast the tension as she wet her lips. He lowered his face to hers, slowly, tentatively. Their lips met, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. He felt her soft hands run through his soft hair, finally resting on the back of his head and neck. It felt amazing. A whole horde of thoughts flashed through his mind. Was he doing this right? What did this mean? Were her lips always so soft? Why don't people do this all the time? He pushed those thoughts away as he deepened the kiss, feeling her soft moan on his lips. He ran a hand through her black hair, marveling at how soft it was. After what seemed like eons, though far too soon for Naruto's liking, they parted, both breathing heavily. Sasuke was blushing prettily, and she wore a small smile.

"You'd better go, loser. Kakashi-Sensei is waiting for you." With a final peck on his cheek, she turned and sauntered away, leaving a dumbstruck Naruto alone on the bridge. He ran his hands through his hair. _Girls are so confusing..._

* * *

"You're late."

Kakashi was already waiting for him at the training ground. "Sorry..." A burst of inspiration struck him. "A black cat crossed my path, so I had to take the long way around. I'm sure you understand." Kakashi looked at him strangely, then burst out laughing. Naruto didn't think he'd ever heard his sensei laugh before.

"Turning the tables, Naruto? Well played." Kakashi's face sobered. "I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you to come here." Naruto nodded. "Tell me, Naruto. Do you know why we generally work in four man teams?"

Naruto nodded again, happy that he actually knew the answer for once. "It's supposedly the perfect size for infiltration. It's large enough that a team should be able to handle any situation, while small enough to remain unnoticed."

Kakashi gave him an eye-smile. "Very good. There's another reason behind it, though. A four man team is perfect for assassinating a single opponent. They have the advantage of numbers, and are able to surround and overwhelm the target. However, they are few enough to not get in each other's way. I'm sure you've noticed with your shadow clones that they tend to reduce each other's effectiveness?"

"Yeah, but if I make enough of them, they get the job done." Naruto was peeved at this attack on his favorite jutsu.

"That's my point. Naruto, you have a virtually unlimited army at your disposal. Right now, that army is untrained and unable to work together. I aim to fix that." Naruto's eyes brightened. _Special training? Count me in!_ "So, every day after our normal missions or training, you and I are going to come here. I'm going to help you develop your own Taijutsu style that emphasizes your strengths and your shadow clones. To do that, we're going to work on how fast you can create your clones. With your chakra system, you shouldn't even have to draw any chakra, just take what's already flowing through your system and make several clones. You're also going to learn how to make and use a one handed Ram seal. By the time we're done, you're going to be able to make small groups of clones on the fly, work with them efficiently, and be much more effective."

* * *

**A/N: This chapter was so hard to write. All talking and no action makes Justin a bored writer. I hope the kiss scene doesn't suck as much as I think it does. However, there were several things I needed to get out of the way before the Wave Arc next chapter, chiefly Naruto's training. Sorry it took so long to update, but the next one will come **_**much**_** faster. I'm going to put the entire Wave Arc into one huge chapter, so you guys have something to look forward to! Thanks for reading!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here we are! We're going to finish up the training sequence and move directly on to the Wave Arc. Despite my previous plans, I found it unfeasible to put the entire wave arc in one chapter, so I'm breaking it up. This first one has a lot of action, so sit back and enjoy the ride! I am also upping the rating of this story to M for safety. A couple of the fight scenes are pretty graphic. There won't be any guts or brains flying everywhere, but there will be blood. While I'm pretty sure that it could fit into a PG13 movie, I don't want to take the risk. I don't plan on writing explicit lemons, as I'm truly horrible at it, so if you're okay with violence and a little blood you should be fine.**

**LordGhostStriker: O.M.A. is going to be Naruto's go-to for a lot of the pre-time-skip, so he'd best learn it fast!**

**The Winter Nin: I'm glad you're enjoying it. This story is consuming my mind at the moment, so you can be sure that it will be updated regularly until its completion (Which includes post-time skip.)**

**SpontaneousMusician: I don't plan on using Kurama much (if at all) for the rest of the story. I hated how it was used in canon, especially since it was ALL Naruto used near the end... That and about twenty variations of the Rasengan... However, I know how much the NIne Tails is used in Shippuden, which is why my version of the post time skip will be COMPLETELY AU. Orochimaru is and will be the main villain of the story with minor appearances by Akatsuki. I'm sorry that you find the story rushed, but it kind of is, at this point. There are things that need to happen, so I'm kind of putting them together so I can get to the awesome fight scenes and emotional heartbreaking scenes, which are the ones I write best by far. Since everyone knows a lot of the stuff that happens in Part 1, I feel I can condense it a bit. I just don't feel the need to write a whole chapter on chasing a cat. It's why I'm glossing over D Rank missions. I acknowledge that they're there and they suck, but writing several chapters on D Ranks mixed in with training for the sake of word count isn't something I want to do, and I doubt it's something that you want to read. I'm glad you think the story is promising, as things start to really pick up in this chapter, which is just a shadow of things to come.**

**Dbzfanficreader: When Kyuubi returns, he will be at his full strength, and if Jiraiya's estimations are right, Naruto will be long dead. Jiraiya has been wrong before, however... Thanks for reviewing again!**

**Majin-kun: Thank you for clearing that up. Thank you even more for your amazing review, as always. I'm sad to see that people are so cavalier about writing about that kind of stuff, but I guess to each their own. I have a couple ideas for barrier and weight seals, especially one he can plant on opponents who are faster than him to slow them down. Jammer seals hadn't occurred to me, but it seems like those would be good in lieu of Genjutsu and could really open up his versatility. The problem with the "funnel" seal is that his jutsu each require different amounts of chakra, and his later jutsu will require quite a bit, but I do like the idea of changing someone's perception of time. As for the weapons, I do like the idea of the 'taser' seal... I'm picturing taser kunai in my head and it fits well with what I'm doing with the story. It would also power up his kunai to match Sasuke's chidori sword, which was something I was having trouble countering. I also have an idea for a bo staff that deals small chakra explosions on contact... but I doubt I'm going to use it. As for Sakura, she doesn't really "love" Kiba. She's too young and inexperienced to have a clue what that emotion is. This chapter is going to be the start of the "good shit," and just a prelude of what is to come. I don't think anyone is going to see the end of Part 1 coming, but I think it's the best idea I've ever had for a story. It was the scene that inspired the rest of the story, after all. I also appreciate your tips on writing, and now that we're at the "good shit" I shouldn't have any difficulty with blockage. The hardest part of the story so far was trying to slow down enough to make the "good shit" as emotionally impactful (which I don't think is a word) as I could, and to get people attached to Naruto and Sasuke, along with the idea of them being together. Thanks again for the review, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**TeamVex: While your imagery is... different, I appreciate the sentiment behind it. Thank you for your review.**

**Guest: I have already explained that Part 1 would not have that many changes to plot, just changes to character, especially Naruto and Sasuke. Part 2 is going to be very different from canon.**

**R-Rated: Thanks again for the review... Hope you like the chapter!**

**Kabero: Thanks for the support, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I'm glad you like a fallible Naruto, because it won't be the last time that Naruto loses, and certainly not the worst loss he'll suffer. I'm glad you like Sasuke, and I don't get harems; they just sound exhausting. Seriously, my girlfriend is enough for me. I couldn't imagine juggling four or five. Can you imagine all the estrogen?**

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, I really appreciate the feedback.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

* * *

It had been almost two months since Kakashi had started teaching Naruto how to use his Shadow Clones. The Jonin had had to take Naruto back to the basics, both with chakra control and taijutsu, but the blonde had picked it up fast. It was amazing what he could do with a teacher who actually wanted him to succeed. Kakashi had been a patient, if demanding, teacher. It was a side of the masked ninja that Naruto had never seen. Almost every day he had Naruto practicing with his Shadow Clones. He limited Naruto to four at a time, which meant there would be five Narutos on the field at any given time. He had learned how to use his clones in Taijutsu combat. Kakashi had drilled him in a lot of strategies and formations, and Naruto had the feeling that they were formations that Kakashi had used during the Jonin's time in Anbu. He learned when to use which formation, and why. They had developed a personalized Taijutsu style for the blonde, and he was immensely proud of it. The style took full advantage of the fact that Naruto's clones were expendable and infinite. The clones would block attacks for the real Naruto, he would use them to set up his own attacks, and he would use them to attack from several directions and angles at the same time. The few times he had sparred Sasuke while using this style he had come out on top, something she didn't take kindly to. She had been training harder than ever, and had demanded to receive extra training with Kakashi as well. Even Sakura had improved, but not nearly as much as her team mates. This left the Jonin with very little free time.

Naruto felt slightly guilty for taking up so much of Kakashi's time, but it seemed that it was time that Kakashi was more than willing to give. Naruto had a feeling that Kakashi had been offended at Jiraiya's attempts to 'poach' his student and was trying to show the ex-Jinchuriki that he didn't need to go elsewhere to gain strength.

Even though Kakashi was monopolizing a lot of Naruto's time, the blonde still made a point to learn from Jiraiya as often as he could. Jiraiya was even more brutal than Kakashi, demanding perfection from every character on every practice array that Naruto drew. The _Sannin_ had told him that if a single character was misdrawn the smallest amount, then the entire array could fail, implode, or worse. Thus Naruto was extremely careful in drawing his seals and more than a little hesitant about activating them, even though the practice ones that he had drawn did nothing more than glow in two or three harmonious colors, depending on the difficulty of the array. If a character was out of place or misdrawn, the array itself would show it to him, because when he activated it that part of the seal would clash with the rest. The Genin had yet to have a perfectly drawn array, though he had come close on numerous occasions, and Jiraiya outright refused to start teaching him usable seals until he had perfected two of the three practice arrays. The _Sannin_ had promised to show him something truly awesome once he had completed it though, so Naruto had taken to practicing the arrays while waiting for Kakashi to show up each morning. Jiraiya taught him more than just Fuinjutsu, however. He would often talk at length about his journeys and the things he had seen and done. Naruto was enthralled, even though he was sure that JIraiya had embellished quite a bit. He didn't much care, though, as he enjoyed the stories all the same. The man had a flair for storytelling, and Naruto was certain that if he wrote about his own travels instead of 'researching' the hot springs that he'd be a more renowned writer.

Sakura had gotten over her kicked puppy faze, even if it had lasted way too long for Naruto's taste. Things hadn't simply gone back to normal, however. Instead she was oddly sweet to him whenever Sasuke was around, but bickered like her usual self whenever the dark haired kunoichi was absent. Naruto had started to take comfort in their bickering sessions, and she hardly ever hit him anymore, which Naruto considered a very good thing.

Sasuke, on the other hand, had been alternating between hot and cold so often that Naruto found it difficult to care anymore. One day she'd be full of smiles and laughs, her dark orbs full of emotion, the next she's sit in broody silence. The emotional rollercoaster was too much. He figured that whenever Sasuke decided what she wanted then he'd be the first to know: She wasn't exactly shy. They had yet to repeat their exploits on the bridge, but she had been more affectionate and 'hands on' than she had before they had kissed, especially whenever Sakura was around. Occasionally she would sit down next to Naruto and pull his head into her lap and toy with his hair, and they'd talk about random things late into the evening. Sometimes they would talk about serious things, like what they wanted to do with their lives and where they wanted to go. Occasionally her answers bothered him, especially when it came to her brother, but Naruto always hastily changed the subject whenever he came up. It turned out that they had a lot in common. Both were the last members of their clans in the Leaf Village, both had spent a lot of their childhood alone, and both had been forced to grow up and take care of themselves long before peers. Other times they would simply joke around and spend the late afternoon laughing. She'd swat him on the top of his head if he got too silly, but it was never hard enough to actually hurt.

The few times the pair had done this in front of Sakura, both kunoichi had taken turns glaring at each other when they thought that Naruto wasn't looking. At first the boy had endeavored to find the reason behind it, but now he just did his thing and let the girls do theirs. He doubted that his team mates would ever see eye to eye, but he had started to get along with both of them individually, so he figured that was good enough. Kakashi had noticed the changes in both girls, but he had never questioned Naruto about it. The cerulean eyed teen was fairly certain that Kakashi knew or had seen him kiss Sasuke; the Jonin kept throwing out leading remarks, his voice full of mirth.

Missions were boring as ever. It had turned into a daily thing: Get up. Wait for Kakashi. Get mission. Do degrading work. Train till you drop. Go to bed. The sad part was was that Gama-chan wasn't getting any fatter. Jiraiya had insisted that Naruto buy his own sealing paper, a process that the Sannin claimed would drive Naruto to succeed faster. Naruto suspected that it was because the old man was cheap. Either way, the Genin had found quickly that learning how to draw the characters for seals consumed a lot of paper, and Naruto was learning quickly that sealing paper was not cheap when bought in bulk.

Naruto still hadn't gotten his rematch with Kiba, something that had been on his mind a lot recently, especially since he'd gotten a lot stronger than he had been the last time they had duked it out. He was fairly certain that he could dodge the whirlwind attack that Kiba had used, as he had been sparring with Kakashi on an almost daily basis. Kakashi was a lot faster than Kiba could ever hope to be, and one had better learn to dodge or one would end up taking a beating.

* * *

Naruto reached the bridge at his normal time and both girls were already there, as usual. Each gave him a smile and a wave, which Naruto returned. He perched himself on the railing to the bridge and pulled out a kunai. He had replaced his old and worn kunai with a set that was slightly less crappy. He kept meaning to buy better ones, but between sealing paper, rent and food the blonde found himself chronically broke. He started to balance the kunai on his finger before Sasuke's soft voice distracted him.

"Naruto... I uh... Iboughtyousomethingyoumightlike." The words came out too fast for Naruto to catch. The girl had gone beet red and wasn't looking at him and was holding a wooden case under one arm.

"I'm sorry?"

"I got you something. Just take it already," she huffed and held the wooden box out to him. Naruto took it cautiously, while Sakura looked on in disapproving silence. Carefully opening the lid, he saw twenty identicle, flawless kunai resting on a bed of blue velvet. Awestruck, he lifted one gingerly out of its cradle. It was'nt as dark as most kunai he'd seen. Where all of his previous kunai had been a dark iron color, these were a ligher bright silver. It had an orange tassle attached to the ring. Looking closely, he noticed a black Uzumaki swirl engraved where the hilt met the blade. Turning it over, he noticed the Uchiha fan was in the same spot on the reverse side. They were easily the best kunai he had ever seen, much less used. Each was flawlessly balanced and razor sharp. They were obviously custom made and very expensive.

"I noticed your kunai weren't that great, so I thought... Do you like it?" Naruto tore his gaze away from the kunai in his hands. Sasuke was looking at him uncertainly, her obsidian eyes trying to read his face for clues. Overwhelmed with emotion, he pulled her into a tight hug. "I take it that you like them, then?"

"They're the best gift I've ever had. You have no idea what it means to me. Thank you." Her soft laugh tickled his neck, a sensation he quite enjoyed. She pulled back and looked into his bright blue eyes, ruffling his hair with a soft hand.

"Well don't go reading too much into it, loser," she mocked. "If you're going to be watching my back then you're not going to do it with those crappy kunai you always use. Just don't go attaching any explosive tags to them; you'll burn the tassles." Naruto nodded. He had considered not using them at all to preserve the gift for as long as possible, but he knew that if he _didn't _ use them then Sasuke would think that he didn't like them. He vowed that he would just be extremely careful with them and make sure to collect each and every one after a fight. He didn't notice Sakura glaring at both Sasuke and the kunai.

"Yo!" Three pairs of eyes turned to see a masked Kakashi standing at one end of the bridge. "Sorry I'm late, but a kitten was stuck in a tree. I'm sure you understand." Kakashi's excuses were beginning to grow on Naruto, and he had sometimes wondered how long the Jonin could go without reusing the same excuse. The three Genin knew he was full of it, and Kakashi knew that they knew. It had become something of a game to Team Seven. "Nice kunai, Naruto."

Naruto just beamed at him as he unpacked the kunai from their box and slid them into his holster. He had to take out quite a few of his old kunai, but he made sure he saved some for explosive purposes. "So what are we doing today, Sensei?"

"Hold onto your headbands, kiddies, but we're going to get a C Rank mission. You're all more than ready."

* * *

Team Seven was lined up in front of the Hokage, eagerly awaiting their first C Rank mission. Naruto was literally trembling with anticipation. He was finally going to leave the village! One of the reasons he had wanted to become a ninja was to see the world, and he was finally getting his chance. He didn't care if the the mission was simply delivering a message or saving a lost princess. Scratch that, he would definitely rather save the lost princess.

"Kakashi, are you certain your team is ready?" The Hokage asked the masked Jonin, though amusement danced in his eyes.

"I am, Hokage-sama. They are more than ready. I have complete confidence in each of them." The Jonin knew that the pomp and circumstance was for the Genin's benefit; he was more than willing to play along. This was an important moment for his young students and he wouldn't rob them of the experience.

The old Hokage puffed on his pipe and regarded the three Genin. "Very well, I happen to have a C Rank mission here." He handed a scroll to Kakashi. "Your mission is to protect the bridge builder. You are to escort him to his island village in the Land of Waves and guard him while he finishes building a bridge to the mainland." The aged man called in his secretary. "If you would kindly escort Tazuna to meet the squad that will serve as his protection?" The secretary nodded and left, reappearing a few minutes later with an older man. The man was large and well built, with grey hair and beard. Oddly, he wore a slender rope around his forehead.

"Tazuna, this is Team Seven. I have assigned them to you for your protection. They will meet you at the village's gate in an hour."

Tazuna regarded the three Genin. "I payed for ninja, not a bunch of kids. Do you expect me to believe that these whelps can protect me?"

"WHY YOU-" Sakura exploded, but was stopped by Naruto's hand on her shoulder.

"We are more than capable," the blonde said solemly, his bright blue eyes meeting Tazuna's dark ones. "We will protect you with our lives." Sasuke nodded to his side, while Sakura gave Naruto a thoughtful look. Tazuna seemed taken aback at Naruto's statement.

"Whether we are capable or not doesn't really matter. We're the squad you're getting. If you don't like it, you're more than welcome to a refund. I'm sure that the roads back home won't be all _that_ dangerous." Kakashi had stepped behind his team, his hands resting on Naruto's and Sakura's shoulders, giving Tazuna one of his infamous eye smiles. The old man grimaced, but nodded.  
"Well, I guess you'll have to be good enough. I'll see you at the gate."

"Well done, my little Genins. While we must treat our clients with respect, we must also be firm. We can't cave to childish demands." The three Genin turned to their sensei. "Now go pack for a long journey. I have a feeling that we won't be seeing the village in a while, so say your goodbyes to whomever you have to."

* * *

The sun was shining as Team Seven and Tazuna had left the village. Naruto had hurriedly found Iruka and told him that he'd be gone for a while. The Chunin had ruffled Naruto's hair and wished him good luck. He bade Naruto to be safe and take of himself and his team. He had tried to find Jiraiya as well, but the old perv was nowhere to be found. He knew that Jiraiya was close to the Hokage, so he didn't worry about it too much.

Naruto and Sasuke walked in front, side by side, while Sakura and Tazuna followed. Kakashi brought up the rear. Naruto knew that Kakashi had set it up this way purposefully. The two weakest members were in the middle, easily protected from both front and back. The most powerful and observant member of the squad was in the back, able to react to any surprise attacks from behind. Kakashi was also fast enough to get to the front of the group quickly enough to assist in any frontal attacks. It was the perfect formation for their group.

"What?!" Kakashi's surprised voice echoed from behind them, and the Genin whirled around. Naruto heard Sakura gasp. Their sensei was wrapped in barbed chains, each end being held by a pair of shinobi.

"DO IT!" One of the enemy ninja yelled, and the two shinobi pulled on the chain. Naruto could only watch as his sensei was eviscerated before his eyes.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto yelled, his hands forming the familiar Ram seal. The enemy shinobi turned his way and were gone in twin streaks.

"You're next!" A deep, gravelly voice shouted behind him. Naruto felt a knot of fear wedge itself in his stomach, but he pushed it down. Now was not the time for weakness. His team needed him. Naruto turned and saw both of the ninja were rushing toward him, their eyes flashing with blood lust, the barbed chain hanging loosely between them.

"I don't think so!" Two Naruto-clones flashed in the air in front of the enemy ninja, landing simultaneous kicks. The ninja stumbled backwards, reeling. Two more clones came from behind, aiming low leg sweeps, tripping the chained shinobi. They landed heavily, but immediately started getting to their feet. Naruto settled into a defensive stance, but paused as he saw a dark shape soar overhead. He smiled as he watched Sasuke flip over the pair, a kunai in hand. She twirled gracefully and the kunai arced toward the ground, perfectly anchoring the chain to the middle of the road. Sasuke landed on the other side of the fallen ninja and smirked as they tried to free themselves. She nodded at Naruto, and they each charged one of the ninja, who were now desperately pulling on the chain that connected them. The blue eyed Genin let out a battle cry as his foot collided with the side of the ninja's head. The force of the blow was too great for the chain to bare; it snapped from the strain. The ninja went tumbling, skipping along the ground. Naruto formed the Ram seal and charged again, reaching the ninja just as he had gained his feet.

One clone planted a leaping kick to the man's head, the second slid low and landed a mule kick to the his chest, driving him back. A third clone leaped over the second and punched the man squarely in the jaw with a flying haymaker, while a fourth sunk an uppercut deep into the man's stomach, lifting him off the ground. The enemy ninja gasped for air as all four clones dispelled in a puff of smoke. The shinobi barely had time to breath before the real Naruto dashed through the smoke, silver kunai in hand. The shinobi barely felt the kunai arc violently across his throat.

Blood spattered across Naruto's face and chest, breaking the young Genin from his trance. He'd been acting on instinct, not thinking. He watched, his blue eyes wide as his opponent clutched at his own throat, blood seeping between his fingers. His hands were tight, almost as if the shinobi thought that he could keep his life's blood if he just held on hard enough. The man fell to his knees and made a gurgling sound that made Naruto's gut wrench. The shinobi's hands fell to his side, and the blood started spurting violently from his throat, striking Naruto and staining his hoodie, face, and hair red. Naruto dropped his kunai in horror, unwilling to watch but unable to look away. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the man fell face first into the dusty road and twitched once, twice, before lieing motionless on the ground, more blood pooling beneath his still form.

Naruto backed away, his face twisted in shock and horror. He had killed a man. One second, the man had been alive and the next he had been twitching on the ground. He felt sick, disgusted and unclean all at once. The blonde felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked up at his sensei, who was carrying the other enemy shinobi under one arm.

* * *

Kakashi sighed to himself. It was never easy for a shinobi after his or her first kill, but this one was particularly bad. Often, the kill was due to a jutsu that burned or crushed enemies beyond all recognition. Naruto's, on the other hand, had been up close, personal, and bloody. The young boy had had to look into his victim's eyes as he died, feel the blood spatter over him. Kakashi had hoped to put off his team's first kill until they had grown up a bit, but it seemed that fate didn't care about his plans.

The masked Jonin partially blamed himself. He had noticed a puddle in the middle of the road and correctly assumed that it was a jutsu of some kind. After all, the area hadn't received rain in more than a week. He had let the Demon Brothers believe that they had gotten the drop on him so he could see who their real target was. He had confidence in his team's abilities under pressure, especially Sasuke and Naruto. The pair had performed admirably and had worked as a team to take down the enemy, just as they had been drilled to do. It hadn't occured to Kakashi that Naruto would kill one of them, and would have stopped the Genin if he had.

His ploy had one positive effect, though. It had confirmed his suspicions that the brothers were after the bridge builder, which meant that the mission was a lot more dangerous than they had been led to believe. This wasn't a random attack by rogue ninja, but a hired hit squad who had a purpose.

Naruto was looking up at him, looking for guidance, and for once Kakashi didn't know what to say. The boy had done well, but Kakashi couldn't congratulate him. He wouldn't scold the blonde. He couldn't even commiserate with him. He finally settled on what his sensei had told him in this situation.

"Naruto... You did what you had to do. You were protecting your friends and carrying out your mission. The life of a shinobi is not an easy one, and sometimes we are forced to take the lives of our enemies. You'll get through this, because you're strong. Taking a life is a wretched thing, and should not be done lightly. However, you have to forgive yourself. You had no choice but to act as you did." The blonde nodded, still looking green. He suddenly held his stomach and ran to the edge of the road. Kakashi sighed again as he heard the boy throwing up.

He turned towards Tazuna, letting his full killer intent wash over the bridge builder. "You lied to us..."

* * *

Naruto finished retching and wiped off his face with the back of his arm. He nearly threw up again when his arm warmer came back stained in blood. He tore off the offending piece of clothing and used it to start wiping off his face and hands, desperate to get the shinobi's blood off of him. He felt a soft hand grasp his, and looked up to find Sasuke, her face full of concern. "It won't come off. I keep trying, but I can't get it off." Naruto said, his voice cracking as he valiantly held back tears.

"It's okay, Naru-kun. We'll get it off. Come on." She led him to the middle of the road and sat him down. He watched dumbly as she pulled off her back pack and retrieved her canteen and a few pieces of cloth. They sat in silence as she dampened the rag and gingerly took his hand, wiping it clean before moving to his other hand. Their eyes locked as she hesitantly started washing his face, slowly but steadily cleaning every drop of blood. She pulled off his headband and wiped his forhead clean. She even got most of the blood out of his hair. When she was done, she wrapped the rags in a bag and put them back in her pack and replaced her canteen. She wasn't startled when Naruto buried his face in her shoulder and sobbed. She just held him tightly and stroked his back, softly telling him that it would be okay.

* * *

**And that's the first of three chapters for the Wave Arc. The next one should be up tonight or tomorrow, so keep a lookout. As always, thank you for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Part 2 of the Wave Arc. AAAAARE YOU READY FOR A JONIN LEVEL BATTLE! I know I am!**

**A/N2: When I rewatched the episodes including the fight scenes, I remembered how smart Naruto can be in one moment, then be a complete idiot the next. He comes up with a brilliant, complicated plan to free Kakashi, then yells at Haku for (apparently) killing Zabuza. I mean, come on. It was just explained who Haku was. He was (apparently) a hunter ninja from the Hidden Mist. His job (apparently) was to hunt down Zabuza and kill him. SMH**

**I am overwhelmed at the amount of positive feedback you guys have been giving me. It's a pleasure writing for you guys, and I can't wait to share the rest of the story with you. It's why I upload so fast. I know I'd get more reviews by holding out a few days (or weeks) between updates, but I don't want to leave you guys hanging like that. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Thanks again to everyone who reviewed, it's greatly appreciated! I have decided to start PMing replies to reviews... The A/N are getting a little long. I'll still endeavor to reply to each and every review, but I don't think that putting a 2500 word A/N at the beginning of each chapter would be a good thing... It would do wonders for my word count, though... Hmmm...**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any affiliated characters.**

* * *

Kakashi led the group away from the battleground before stopping for the evening. Naruto was still visibly shaken, and the Jonin didn't think that the blonde would be able to travel much further. It was starting to get dark out, anyways. Kakashi was at a loss of what to do with his only male student. The Jonin knew he should have prepared for this moment before he recommended his team for a C Rank mission, but normally Genin didn't have that much of a killer instinct. Most of Naruto's graduating class would have beat the missing nin to a pulp and left it at that, but Naruto had gone for the kill shot the moment his enemy's guard had dropped. It wasn't a bad instinct for a shinobi to have by any means, but he hadn't expected it from Naruto. It would probably save the boy's life someday. Kakashi had lost too many friends during the war because they hadn't gone for the kill when the opportunity presented itself. He had seen an equal number of promising shinobi break from the trauma that the first kill caused. Kakashi just hoped that Naruto would grow from this experience and be all the stronger for it.

While Sasuke had been washing the blood from Naruto, Kakashi had questioned his client, Tazuna. Apparently, a rich business man called Gato had taken over the bridge builder's village by monopolizing all of the shipping lanes in and out of the otherwise isolated island. He had squashed all opposition with a combination of fear and murder, and had completely trashed the village's economy. Tazuna, one of the last people willing to stand up to the crooked shipping magnate, had fought back by starting construction on a bridge that would allow the town an alternate source of commerce; it was the village's only hope of getting out from under Gato's thumb. Gato, unwilling to let this challenge stand had hired ninja to assassinate Tazuna and his workers. One of Gato's employees, who didn't want to see so many innocent people die, had alerted Tazuna to the danger. Shortly thereafter, the bridge builder had arrived in the Village Hidden in the Leaves to seek protection. However, Tazuna couldn't afford an A Rank or B Rank mission, so he had lied about the dangers the mission possessed and had payed for a C Rank mission.

At this point, continuing the mission or not was purely Kakashi's decision. He and his team would be payed the same amount regardless. Whatever Kakashi did, Tazuna's payment would be forfeit. Hidden Villages didn't issue refunds to people who deceived them. Some of the more brutal villages, like Rock and Mist, didn't issue refunds at all. Kakashi was torn. He really felt for the plight that the Land of Waves was in, and if it had been just him, or if his students were Chunin, he'd give the go ahead and continue the mission. However, he had his team to consider. If any of them died on this mission because he had put them in danger... well, the Jonin didn't think he could bear it. The masked ninja already had enough reasons to visit the memorial stone. He wouldn't add his team's names to it. Then again, he had confidence in his team's abilities. They had performed remarkably well against ninja who were most assuredly Chunin rank. Furthermore, he was confident that he could protect his team against any threat they had to face. Then again, Sakura just wasn't ready for a mission like this. She'd be next to useless in a fight against enemy ninja, and Naruto, the team's heavy hitter, still had a lost look in his eyes. Sasuke was the only one he could count on if the team were ambushed in the middle of the night, and while she was more than capable, it was more than he was willing to ask of her. She had enough on her plate taking care of Naruto.

Kakashi had been surprised at how patient Sasuke was being with Naruto. She hadn't left his side since he had snapped. After washing him, she had led him down the road, only stopping to retrieve the silver kunai he had dropped. Once Kakashi had called for them to set up camp, the dark haired kunoichi had done Naruto's share of the chores, had helped him change, and had practically spoon fed him. It was kind of sweet and sad at the same time. To be honest, Kakashi was more than a little worried about Naruto, as well. Greater shinobi than he had been broken from their first kill, and Kakashi prayed that Naruto would snap out of it.

With that, Kakashi made his decision. He wouldn't continue the mission down a man. If Naruto was still out of it in the morning, the Jonin would have to turn back. If Naruto had recovered, he'd give the team the option of moving forward. Satisfied, the Jonin leaned back and kept his senses open. He would take watch tonight.

* * *

Sasuke was worried about Naruto. He hadn't said a word since the fight, and she didn't know what to do. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Naruto just stared at their small fire. She had never seen him like this, and didn't like it at all. Even when Kiba had been knocking him around, Naruto still had that look of determination in his eyes. Now... He looked like he had given up. The light had left his eyes, and she wanted nothing more than to see them shine again.

"Naruto?" He didn't even look at her. "Please say something. You're scaring me."

The blonde gave her a haunted look. "You should be scared." His voice came out hoarse, and his eyes found the fire again.

Sasuke was confused. "I don't understand." She sat by him and took his hand. "Please. Help me understand."

He didn't answer for a long time. "Do you know why the villagers hate me so much?" She shook her head, and he continued. "My birthday is October 10th, the night of the Nine Tails attack." Now she was completely lost. Why would people hate him because of that? He couldn't choose what day he was born on. "Well, the night of the attack, the Fourth Hokage went up against it. I've heard the battle was something to see. But the Fourth, no matter how powerful he was, couldn't kill it... at least not then. So he did the next best thing: He sealed it into a newborn baby." Sasuke saw where this was going.

"You?"

"Yeah, me. So for years I carried around the thing that had caused so much destruction. The people called me a monster. The orphanage kicked me out when I was four. The funny thing is, I don't even have the Nine Tails inside me anymore. The seal that the Fourth Hokage used leeched all of the Nine Tails chakra into me. The Pervy Sage said that it killed it... Kind of. Apparently it can't be killed. He said it would reform in a hundred years or so." He paused. "I'd thought that the people were wrong. That I wasn't a monster. That I was just a normal person who just happened to have a demon inside of him." He let out a sarcastic laugh. "Guess I was the one who was wrong after all."

_SMACK_

"Don't you dare!" Sasuke was angry. She didn't think she'd ever been this mad at Naruto. "I've seen a monster, and you're nothing like him!"

The blonde returned her glare. "I didn't even _hesitate_, Sasuke. I killed him. I didn't have to. I could have just beaten him up."

Sasuke was _not _ going to back down. "He was an enemy Naruto! He would have killed you! It's not like you slaughtered a whole clan of innocent people! _That's_ a monster. Believe me, I know a monster when I see one, and if you ever come close to becoming one, I'll kill you myself." Naruto's blue eyes clouded with uncertainty. "I'm glad that you didn't just 'beat him up.' Do you know how many names are on the Memorial Stone because they wouldn't or couldn't go for the kill? We're ninja. We specialize in killing. We use deadly weapons and throw out jutsu that'll melt the flesh off of a man's bones. Our job isn't to 'beat people up,' it's to complete our mission with as few casualties on our side as possible."

Naruto gave her a small smile. "You always say the most romantic things."

"Well it's true," she huffed, her eyes flashing. "Now, if you're done being a moping idiot, I'm goint to bed." Naruto, still smiling, gave her a wave.

"I'm going to be fine. And Sasuke?" She turned, her dark eyes meeting his blue. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said, planting a kiss on his whiskered cheek. "Loser." She turned to leave again, but his hand grabbed her wrist firmly. She gave him a questioning look, marveling at how the fire danced in his blue eyes. He pulled her towards him, and suddenly he was kissing her. The fire crackled behind her as she sunk into the kiss, her eyes closing. His hands, calloused from training, were on her back, in her hair, pulling her closer until his body was pressed against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, suppressing a moan. She had thought that the kiss on the bridge had been amazing, but it paled in comparison to how he was kissing her now. It was filled with hope, desire, and all the emotions neither of them could understand, much less express aloud. His tongue gently slid across her lips, requesting entry that she gave immediately. _Why on earth haven't we been doing this all the time?_ His hands slid down her back, cupping her derriere as he lifted her off the ground. This time she couldn't fight the moan that started deep in her chest. She wrapped her legs around his waist and...

"If you two are about done, some of us are trying to sleep." Sakura's voice came from the direction of her sleeping bag. _I'm going to kill her. I'm going to do it. I'm going to grab her by that ridiculous pink hair and kill her, _Sasuke thought, glaring at the kunoichi. The moment suitably ruined, Sasuke blushed and buried her face into the crook of Naruto's kneck, untangling herself from his well toned body, breathing heavily and trying to calm down. His solid chest rising and falling wasn't helping. Once the blush had left her cheeks, she looked up at Naruto, but he wasn't looking at her. Instead, he was staring wide eyed at a stoic Kakashi. The Jonin raised an eyebrow, looking from one teen to the other, then turned and walked away with his hands in his pockets.

* * *

A few days later Team Seven and Tazuna arrived in the Land of Waves. Kakashi had seemed relieved that Naruto was doing better, and had allowed the Genin to continue with their mission, despite the bump to A Rank. As the group disembarked from the boat that had taken them to the island, Kakashi laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Walk with me a moment, Naruto." He glanced at the rest of the group. "We'll be right back. The rest of you stay here. Don't go wandering off as we're in enemy territory now."

Naruto didn't like where this was going. Ever since the Jonin had caught them making out by the fire, the masked shinobi had made a point of not leaving the two of them alone. Naruto had been aching for a repeat performance, but Kakashi had been subtly keeping them apart.

Kakashi led the blonde a short distance into the woods and sat on a fallen log. He seemed like he was searching for words, and then sighed. "I know that you're an orphan, Naruto, so you haven't had anyone to teach you about... certain things. Tell me, do you know where babies come from?"

* * *

Meanwhile, the two remaining members of Team Seven sat on the beach, with Tazuna awkwardly standing behind them. Sasuke was worried about Naruto. What were he and Kakashi talking about? Did it have to do with her? After Kakashi had caught them, she was sure that he would have given them a talking to, but the Jonin seemed content to just keep them apart. She growled in frustration.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Sasuke asked, turning to her pink haired team mate. Normally she wouldn't talk to the girl, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

Sakura barked a short laugh. "Probably about you and Naruto groping each other in the woods." Green eyes met black, and they glared at each other angrily. Finally, Sakura broke the eye contact and turned back towards the water. "You know I get him in the end, right?"

Sasuke was shocked. She knew that Sakura had a problem with her feelings for Naruto, but she hadn't expected that Sakura actually _liked_ the blonde. "Really? I seem to be way ahead of you there, forehead." Sasuke used Ino's insult for Sakura because she knew it would piss her off.

"It looks that way, doesn't it?" Sakura didn't seem perturbed by Sasuke's insult, and her confidence intrigued the Uchiha.

"Fine then. I know you want to gloat, so I'll ask: Why are you going to end up with him Sakura?" The dark haired kunoichi's voice was laden with sarcasm.

"You girls know I'm still here, right?" An awkward Tazuna received two identical death glares and wisely shut his mouth.

The pink haired kunoichi smirked. "Because you're going to break his heart. You're going to leave and break his heart, and I'll be there to pick up the pieces."

Sasuke laughed. "Why on earth would I leave?"

Sakura's smirk disappeared and she gave Sasuke a hard look. "Do you think your brother's going to wait for you to get powerful and come to the village? Is he going to say 'Alright Sasuke, now that you have the strength to kill me, I've come here to die.' No, you're going to leave, and it's going to kill Naruto. I'm going to be there for him, put him back together, and then he and I will be a couple. Face it Sasuke: You have to make a choice, Naruto or Itachi. We both know which one you're going to choose." A small smile lit up Sakura's face as she turned back towards the water.

Sasuke felt the bottom fall out of her stomach. When Sakura put it like that, it sounded so plausible. Probable, even. However, if Sasuke were forced to choose, she didn't know which way she would go. When she was with Naruto, she was happy, happier than she had been in a long time. But when she thought about Itachi... She shook her head. She wouldn't have to choose. Things would work out. She didn't even know how deep her feelings for Naruto ran, anyway. They weren't even officially a couple. So far they were just friends who kissed a couple of times. Granted, the kisses had been toe-curling, but that didn't mean that they were together. Could she really just forget about avenging her family? On the other hand, could she really leave the village and break Naruto's heart? The breeze caught her pony tail as she buried her face in her arms. She was so confused.

Kakashi and Naruto chose that moment to exit the woods. The blonde's face was tomato red and he wouldn't even look at Sasuke.

* * *

Naruto was confused. Sasuke had been distant with him ever since they had arrived in the Land of Waves. Was she regretting kissing him by the fire? Had he been to forward? Had Kakashi had a similar talk with her and she was too embarassed to talk about it? Not only was Sasuke avoiding him, but Sakura was being overly friendly, which was weird. _I will never understand girls_, Naruto thought. To top it off, Naruto was sure they were being watched; he kept seeing a figure in the trees out of the corner of his eye, but every time he'd turn to look the figure was gone. He wasn't sure what to do about it; if he told Kakashi then the person watching them might disappear alltogether. If the person was an enemy, then they would probably come back at a later time. Naruto might not catch them a second time: The person following them was extremely stealthy. The only thing he could do was wait for the opportune moment to launch a preemptive strike.

_There!_

Naruto drew and launched a kunai with lightning speed. The silver blade arced towards a group of trees, and Naruto heard a distinctive _thunk_ as the blade hit home. The rest of his team mates stared at him as he drew a second kunai and cautiously stalked forward in the direction he had thrown the kunai. He pushed a bush aside... and saw a rabbit impaled through the side. The animal was kicking, squeaking softly in pain. The blonde stepped forward and slit the small beast's throat, putting the creature out of its misery.

"Naruto! How could you? It was just a defenseless bunny!" Sakura seemed to be halfway between angry and upset. Naruto sighed as he cleaned both of his kunai.

"We're being followed. I was trying to hit whoever was watching us, but he must have replaced himself with the rabbit at the last moment."

Sakura looked skeptical. "Are you sure you're not just imagining things?"

Naruto shook his head. "This rabbit was kept indoors. It should be brown in the summer months. This one, on the other hand, is white." The blonde had finished cleaning his blades and had slid them back into his kunai pouch. "I think it was raised exclusively for a substitution jutsu."

"How on earth would you know what color rabbits are?" The pink haired kunoichi seemed annoyed that Naruto knew something she didn't.

"Not all of us have merchants for parents, Sakura. A boy's gotta eat." The kunoichi's eyes softened, and she opened her mouth to say something, but Kakashi's voice rang out over the small clearing, cutting her off.

"GET DOWN!" Naruto immediately tackled Sakura to the ground. She squawked as she hit the dirt, but Naruto wasn't paying attention to her anymore. His full focus was on the giant... something... that whirled just inches over his head, blowing his blonde hair wildly as it passed.

Looking up, the blonde saw a massive single edged sword anchored high in a nearby tree. On its hilt stood one of the oddest men that Naruto had ever seen. The man was obviously a ninja, by virtue of the Hidden Mist Village headband cocked to the side of his eyebrowless forehead. The lower half of the shinobi's face was swathed in bandages, almost like a poor man's version of Kakashi's mask. The Mist ninja was bare chested, showing off an impressive physique, and was wearing camouflaged arm warmers.

"You're a perceptive brat, I'll give you that." The shinobi's voice was deep and gravelly, and he looked at Naruto while he spoke. "There aren't many children who could've realized I was following you."

Naruto started to reply, but Kakashi cut him off.

"Giant sword, no eyebrows. You must be Zabuza Momochi." The silver haired Jonin stared down Zabuza with a single eye.

"I'm honored that you've heard of me, Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye." His voice was dripping in sarcasm, while Sasuke stiffened at Naruto's side. "I've heard you're on the short list to be the Fifth Hokage. It's too bad you'll be dying today. I'll be generous, though. Give up the bridge builder and you and your little brats can scurry home to live another day."

"The only person dying today is you, Zabuza." The masked Leaf Shinobi lifted his headband to rest evenly on his forehead. Naruto stared. His sensei's scarred eye was much different from his healthy one. Instead of his normal dark iris, this one was blood red and had three commas evenly spaced around a black pupil.

"Ah, so I warrant the Sharingan eye," Zabuza chuckled. "It's said that eye has analyzed and replicated over a thousand Jutsu. I'm flattered, Kakashi Hatake, though in my Bingo Book you have another name, don't you? Kakashi the Copy Cat Ninja. Not a very intimidating name, but I can't argue with the results. Do you even know how valuable your body is going to be?"

Kakashi laughed, "I wouldn't go counting the money just yet. You have to kill me first."

"What's a Sharingan?" Naruto almost facepalmed. Leave it to Sakura to interrupt a Jonin pissing contest with stupid questions that could wait until _after_ they were out of danger.

"It's a rare visual jutsu, or dojutsu, that only only shows itself in the Uchiha clan. _My _clan. It's able to read an opponent's taijutsu, genjutsu, or ninjutsu, analyze and then replicate them, but there's more. A lot more." Sasuke was staring at Kakashi, reevaluating him.

"If it's only an Uchiha technique, then how does Kakashi have one?"

Sasuke seethed. "I don't know, but I'm going to find out."

LINE BREAK

"Maji Defense Formation, now!" Kakashi called, ignoring his student's chatter behind him. His students immediately obeyed, falling into silence as a dense mist was rolling over the clearing, obscuring everything, and Kakashi was far too experienced to believe that this was a natural fog. Zabuza and his sword faded from sight, then disappeared altogether. The Copy Ninja was nervous. He was confident that he could take Zabuza if it were a one on one fight, but he had a civilian and three rookie Genin to worry about, as well. He wasn't positive he could protect them and take down one of the Legendary Seven Swordsmen of the Mist at the same time.

Kakashi had heard of Zabuza Momochi. The Hidden Leaf's Bingo Book had labeled him the "Demon of the Hidden Mist," and for good reason. The man was well known as a violent, efficient killer who had mastered the art of the silent assassination. His trademark was obscuring the battlefield in a dense fog, then silently eliminating his opponents one at a time. The Mist Jonin was also adept at psychological warfare, often terrifying his opponents into making a mistake. As long as he was in the mist, Zabuza had a distinct advantage over Kakashi, Sharingan or no.

"Eight points." Zabuza's gravelly voice surrounded Team Seven, his true location hidden by the mist. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys, heart. Now, how shall I kill you?"

Kakashi had had enough. He wasn't just going to stand here and let his team be taken out one at a time. Flashing through half a dozen hand seals, Kakashi thrust his arms to the side. "**Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"** A strong gust of wind blew through the clearing, powerful enough to tear small bushes from the ground and send them flying. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura had to fight to remain standing, crouching against the strength of the wind jutsu. When the technique ended, the dense fog had been blown away. Kakashi's eyes trained on Zabuza, who was standing on the water with one hand in the air. "You'll need more than cheap tricks to beat me, Zabuza."

The Mist Jonin answered with a roar as he charged Kakashi. The two entered a deadly dance, Zabuza's zanbatou against Kakashi's kunai. The bandaged Mist shinobi's kenjutsu was flawless. Despite the size of his sword, which was easily as tall as he was, he had no trouble keeping up with Kakashi's lightning fast kunai strikes. The zanbatou swung in wide, looping arcs, one strike flowing into the next. Kakashi was consistently forced back by the enormous weapon's long reach, the Leaf Jonin's Sharingan carefully analyzing Zabuza, waiting for a chance to strike.

_There!_ Zabuza had overextended with a horizontal slash, just the mistake that Kakashi was waiting for. Quick as lightning, Kakashi stepped inside Zabuza's guard and plunged his kunai deep into the Mist shinobi's heart. Instead of blood, however, clear water started started pouring from the wound. A moment later, the clone had dissipated into a puddle of water. _A water clone? Where's the real one?_

**"Water Style: Giant Vortex**!" Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard Zabuza's voice carry from the nearby lake. Turning, the Jonin saw a massive vortex of water appearing behind the Mist Ninja, growing larger by the second. Kakashi knew that his team would be killed or injured by the technique, so he did the only thing he could. Dashing in front of his students, the masked Leaf shinobi flew through a sequence of hand seals before slamming both hands on the ground.

**"Earth Style: Great Barrier Jutsu!"** A giant wall of earth and rock rose from the ground, just as Zabuza's jutsu reached Team Seven. The water vortex battered against the make-shift dam, and Kakashi had to keep pouring chakra into the technique to keep the wall from crumbling away beneath current. _I forgot how tiring the Sharingan is. I'm running out of chakra._ _I need to end this now!_ As Kakashi's natural element was Lightning, using Wind and Earth releases were especially draining on his chakra. Furthermore, the Sharingan, while a potent tool, was a verirable chakra sink.

The moment Zabuza's vortex subsided, Kakashi released his earth jutsu and flipped over the crumbling rock wall, flying through another set of hand seals. Zabuza was already on the move as well, charging Kakashi with his sword held high.

**"Fire Style: Grand Fireball Jutsu!"** Kakashi yelled the technique as he hurled a gigantic ball of fire at the charging Mist ninja. Zabuza dodge the fireball, but was caught in the following explosion as it tossed him around like a rag doll and scorched his back and neck.

**"Lightning Blade!"** Zabuza had barely started to stand as Kakashi dashed forward, a ball of lighning held in his right hand. The sound of thousands of birds filled the air, and the Mist ninja knew he was finished. There was no way he would be able to dodge or block Kakashi's best attack while still reeling from the fireball.

Just before Kakashi, struck, however, two needles flew into the side of Zabuza's neck, a small spurt of blood flying into the air. The Leaf Jonin faltered and let the lightning in his hand dissipate. Zabuza hit the ground heavily, his eyes wide but unseeing. Kakashi turned in the direction that the senbon had come from and saw a girl, who couldn't be older than Sasuke or Sakura, judging by her size. She was wearing a traditional hunter shinobi's mask. The mask was white with an orange design, and had the symbol for the Village Hidden in the Mist where the forehead would be.

"Thank you." The girl's voice was muffled slightly by the mask, but Kakashi had no trouble understanding her. "I've been tracking Zabuza Momochi for a long time, waiting for this moment."

"I'm going to check the body myself, if you don't mind," Kakashi said warily. There was a certain professional etiquette in this situation. Opposing ninja would be allowed to check the body for proof of death, afterwards a hunter ninja would be allowed to remove it from the battlefield and destroy it. However, the Mist Village and the Hidden Leaf hadn't been on good terms since the Third Shinobi War, so Kakashi kept his guard up. His eyes never left the hunter ninja as he checked Zabuza for signs of life. To be honest, Kakashi had greatly overextended himself in this fight; he was barely keeping conscious. However, the hunter ninja didn't know that. He didn't know the young girl's capabilities, but he wasn't in any condition to find out. He also didn't want to pit his team against an unknown opponent who may be vastly superior than them. Sighing, the Jonin stood. Momochi was dead, no pulse and no breathing.

"Satisfied?" The girl asked without emotion. Kakashi nodded and stepped back from the body. The hunter ninja gathered up Zabuza's still form and disappeared. The threat over, Kakashi crumpled to the ground and slowly lost consciousness.

* * *

**A/N: And that's Part 2 of the Wave Arc. Next chapter is the epic climax, and we'll get to see some more awesome fight scenes. Let me know what you thought of my battle of Jonin proportions, as I'm not sure I did it justice... Anyways, expect an update tonight or tomorrow.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Here is the epic conclusion to the Wave Arc. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you guys enjoy the story! By the way, you guys are AWESOME! Over 50 reviews already!**

**A/N2: It has come to my attention that Sakura's motives are in question at the moment. I apologize for leaving something that important by the wayside, and it will be addressed in this chapter. It comes with my inexperience as a writer, and that's why I appreciate reviews so much.**

**A/N3: I've had a couple people ask me about Sasuke's name, and TBH I don't see what the deal is. Sasuke's name doesn't even mean anything. I guess if it's a deal breaker to you then you don't have to read the story. However, we're 30k+ words in. I've used the name Sasuke hundreds of times. It's a little too late to go through and change it.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto or any affiliated characters.**

* * *

Sakura Haruno sat on the bridge, watching the builders work. She had never seen anyone construct anything so massive; it was actually interesting how they did everything without Jutsu. Kakashi-Sensei was still recovering, but had finally woken up the previous evening. The Jonin had eaten like a wild animal and promptly fell asleep. He had been unconscious for four whole days, and the entire team had worried about the masked Jonin. Sakura had been tempted to use the opportunity to finally see what was under the mask he always wore, but had decided against it; she wasn't sure how he'd react to such an invasion of his privacy. Naruto and Sasuke had used Kakashi's condition to sneak off and make out. A lot. Sakura had caught them in the kitchen of Tazuna's house one morning as she went down for breakfast. Naruto had Sasuke sitting on the counter with her legs wrapped around his waist, kissing like there was tomorrow. They weren't doing anything _too _inappropriate, but how was a girl to eat after such a display? Besides, they were on a mission. It was irresponsible and reckless to try to suck each other's face off while on a mission.

Sakura had always disliked Sasuke Uchiha. Almost from the moment that they had met, Sakura and the ebony haired princess had never gotten along. Sakura had always hated Sasuke's bitchy attitude; the girl thought she was better than everyone else because she was an Uchiha. Big deal. To make things worse, she always beat the pink haired kunoichi at everything. Normally school work was her place to shine. Her memory and talent for soaking in knowledge had always been her best feature, apart from her long, pink hair. However, Sasuke had constantly received better marks on the written tests, blown her out of the water in taijutsu spars, and mastered all of the academy jutsu long before Sakura did. Not only that, but she beat all the boys, too. A part of her had idolized the dark haired girl, but that part had been quickly killed by Sasuke's bitchiness.

Her thoughts drifted to Kiba, the boy she had once crushed on. She realized now that she had never loved the Inuzaka. She had only been into him because of his looks and had failed to see his rather egregious character flaws. After watching him torment Hinata and pound on Naruto, she had realized that he just wasn't a very nice person. While the pink haired kunoichi still thought that the tall, muscular Genin was hot, she'd never be able to look at him the same way again. Anyone who could do that to the quiet, shy Hinata was a dog. Sakura giggled at her own joke. Speaking of giggling...

A few feet away, Naruto and Sasuke broke out into laughter. She had his head in her lap and he was telling her some story about some stupid prank he had pulled during his time in the academy. Sasuke was listening to the blonde's story with a stupid smile on her stupid face, laughing in all the appropriate places. She hated what the dark eyed Uchiha was doing to him. Sakura knew that Sasuke was going to break his heart, but there wasn't anything she could do about it. The snake had Naruto wrapped around her finger. Sakura sighed. At least Naruto had her to pick up the pieces after Sasuke left. Like she had told her team mate, Sakura would win in the end. It may not be tomorrow or even a year from now, but she knew in her heart that she and Naruto would be together.

It had really been odd how fast her feelings for the blonde had grown. It had started after Naruto's fight with Kiba. She and the blonde had started to get along, and she realized how funny he was. Sure, they bickered a lot, but that was natural. After all, Sakura's parents fought and argued almost every night, and they'd been married twenty years. After the male member of Team Seven started beating Sasuke regularly in their sparring matches, Sakura had realized how fast he was improving. She was sure that Naruto could beat Kiba now. His taijutsu was fast and strong, not to mention completely unpredictable. The pink haired kunoichi felt horrible for the things she had said and done during the blonde's fight with Kiba, especially after what Sasuke had told her.

After Her Royal Bitchiness had kicked her out of the hospital, Sakura had taken a good, hard look at herself and decided she didn't like who she was becoming. She had been obsessed over a boy and had stopped training. All of her free time was spent daydreaming about Kiba, and she had become the weakest person in their graduating class. She had gotten some of the highest test scores, but Sakura doubted that enemy Shinobi would be impressed by the 97% she had received on her History exam. (Sasuke had scored a 99%) She had vowed to train harder, and she did. However, she had a family and friends. She wasn't like Naruto and Sasuke who could train every day until they dropped; she just wasn't built that way. She needed human interaction. That's why she hated this stupid team so much. Kakashi doted on his two prized students, but whenever Sakura tried to get extra training, he'd tell her that there wasn't anything he could do until she improved her physical conditioning. He recommended running, push ups, and beating the training stumps. The Jonin had even set her up with another Jonin sensei who specialized in peak conditioning. Sakura wasn't making _that_ mistake again. Might Guy was crazy, and his youthful student was even crazier. She shivered at the thought.

Even worse, she felt even lonelier when the entire team was together. Kakashi would be doing his own thing, while Naruto and Sasuke would spar or talk or (more recently) make out. She felt like an outsider, which was a completely new feeling for the kunoichi. She'd always had plenty of friends and had been quite popular in the Academy. Now her friends were busy, or obsessing over Kiba, and Sakura had never felt so far removed from her peers. Then she'd have to watch Sasuke and Naruto be so happy all the time, and she couldn't help but wonder why _she_ couldn't be that happy. Why did Sasuke get the perfect sensei, the perfect boyfriend, and the perfect ninja skills? Life just wasn't fair.

Sakura sighed. Now they were here on this stupid bridge for twelve hours each day guarding Tazuna. Now that Zabuza was dead, the threat of Team Seven's mission had severely dropped. After all, it took time to find and hire missing ninja, and the bridge would be long built before this Gato person had a chance to find someone else of Zabuza's caliber. Odds were that he would employ some basic thugs, and Naruto and Sasuke (as loathe as she was to admit it) were more than capable of handling mere bandits. After all, Naruto could just summon a few hundred clones and be done with it. Or Sasuke could incinerate them with fire jutsu. Fire-breathing bitch.

* * *

Naruto was busy telling Sasuke about the time he had completely fooled Iruka sensei into believing that he was the Hokage. He'd taken a leaf out of the pervy sage's book and embellished it a bit, playing for laughs. Sasuke was just staring at him with those perfect, dark eyes with a smile on her face. Suddenly he felt odd. Something wasn't right.

He stopped mid-sentence, untangling himself from Sasuke's lap and getting to his feet. There was definitely something off. It was a feeling he got in the pit of his stomach, much like the one he had had the other day before Zabuza had attacked.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Both of his team mates were giving him questioning looks.

He shook his head. "Something's not right." He looked around, trying to find the source, but fog was rolling in over the water, obscuring his vision. "Sasuke, get the workers off the bridge. Sakura, you're with me. " His commanding tone brooked no argument, and Sasuke started herding the workers from the bridge. Sakura followed him, still looking confused, as he searched for the man in charge. "Tazuna! Where are you?" This stupid fog was making it hard to see. "Tazuna!"

"I'm right here, kid. What's the matter?" Tazuna appeared to his right, looking slightly out of breath.

"Something's not right. We're getting off the bridge, now." The bridge builder looked taken aback.

"Are you sure? I'd rather not lose a day of work over nothing."

"Would you rather be dead?" Naruto growled. Tazuna's eyes widened and the old man took a step back. He saw a shape approaching through the fog... It was only Sasuke.

"I got all the workers off the bridge. It's just us." The Uchiha tensed at Naruto's unease.

"Good. We're leaving." The feeling in Naruto's gut was getting worse by the second. Something bad was about to happen, he was sure of it. A deep, gravelly voice echoed behind him.

"You're not going anywhere." The three Genin and Tazuna whirled to see Zabuza and the masked tracker ninja standing there, slightly hidden in the fog. _Damnit!_ _I was too slow!_

"Aren't you supposed to be dead? Kakashi-Sensei checked the body!" Naruto was both scared and angry. He knew that the two of them had no chance at beating the Jonin, much less the hunter nin that was with him.

The bandaged ninja just laughed. "It didn't take. See, Haku here is deadly accurate with her senbon. She's so accurate that she can hit certain pressure points that makes a person _appear_ dead, even when they're not. It's not the first time her talents have been useful, and it won't be the last. But I think someone is missing from this little reunion. Where's Kakashi?" Naruto didn't know what to do. He knew that Sasuke was waiting for his signal, but he didn't know what the right call was. Should they split up and fight each of them one on one? Should they stick together and hope that teamwork saved them? The blonde decided to stall for time.

"He's on his way, don't worry." Naruto bluffed.

The swordsman regarded him for a moment, and Naruto strove to meet the man's eyes, but killing intent was broiling off of him in waves. "I don't think he is, boy. You know what I think? I think he's still laid up from our fight the other day. I can only imagine what his face will look like when he finds out that his students have all been chopped into tiny pieces."

_Damn. Well that didn't work_. The blonde's mind was racing. He knew he'd have to make a decision, but he didn't know which was the right one, if there even was a right decision. Kakashi hadn't bothered to drill them about facing one, maybe two, Jonin level ninja. He had, however, taught them about no-win situations. Sometimes, there was no right call. Sometimes you and your team were just dead no matter what you did. Naruto had the feeling he was in one of these situations now. It wasn't exactly a comforting thought, but it did l make his decision easier.

"Sasuke, the girl's yours. Sakura, stay with Tazuna. I'll hold off Zabuza." Sasuke gaped at him.

"Are you crazy? I'm not letting you fight him alone! He'll kill you!" Her voice was halfway between pleading and anger.

"Just do it! We don't have time to argue! Finish your fight as quick as you can and come back to help me! I can hold him off long enough if you're fast about it." Naruto ordered, sounding a lot braver than he felt. He knew he was lying. The Jonin would probably kill him in about two seconds, Sakura two seconds after that, and then Tazuna a few seconds later. At least this way Sasuke might survive, but Naruto doubted it.

"Please, Naruto. Don't do this." She sounded desperate. He could feel her dark orbs boring into the back of his head, but he didn't dare look away from Zabuza.

"It's the only way," he said as he formed the Ram seal. Four shadow clones appeared around him. He hoped that Zabuza had missed a fifth clone, separate from the rest, disappear into the fog and run as fast and quietly as it could towards the village.

"Fine. But if you die I'm going to kill you." Sasuke said before charging Haku. The girl, who had yet to say a word, met Sasuke halfway and the pair exchanged a flurry of blows before being swallowed by the mist. Naruto could here the sounds of their battle, but they were getting more distant by the second.

"Naruto, what should I do?" Sakura sounded terrified. Her kunai was trembling in her hand and Naruto knew that he could expect no help from her.

"Stay with Tazuna. Don't try to interfere; you'll only get in the way."

* * *

Kakashi had woken to the sounds of a struggle. Rubbing his head, he calmly walked down the stairs while putting on his vest. Following the crashing sounds, he walked into the kitchen of the small home and saw two armed thugs attempting to kidnap a woman that Kakashi vaguely remembered was Tazuna's daughter.

"Hello." His voice was calm and even, though he was raging inside. He hated lowlifes that preyed on those who couldn't protect themselves. He smiled at the two men, who were looking at him with wide eyes. "If you don't let her go immediately, I'm going to have to kill you." He said brightly, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"You're... you're a ninja! That headband..." One of the two men was pointing at him, his hand shaking.

Kakashi nodded amicably. "That's right. I'm a ninja. Not to blow my own horn, but I'm actually kind of famous. Let me introduce myself. I'm Kakashi Hatake." The two men were still staring at him, shaking in fear. "Never heard of me? Well, I guess you have to travel in certain circles." He let his killer intent fill the room and glared at the two men. "Get lost, and don't come back. If I ever see you again, I'll rip your spines out through your throat." The Jonin idly wondered if he could, in fact, do as he threatened as the two men ran out of the house as fast as they could. He turned to the woman, "Are you okay? They didn't hurt you?" The woman shook her head. "Do you have somewhere safe you can go?" She nodded. "You should go there." The woman thanked him and started gathering a few things, calling out for her son.

_ I wonder what my little Genin are doing today?_ Kakashi thought as he ambled out of the house and towards the massive bridge. Moments later, he heard a crashing noise ahead of him. Tensing, the masked ninja reached for a kunai. A blonde and blue blur landed on the ground in front of him. Naruto. The whiskered Genin was gasping for air.

"Hunter... fake... Zabuza... alive... Bridge... I'm... a clone" It's message delivered, the clone poofed from existence. Kakashi took off as fast as he could. The Leaf ninja was still recovering from chakra exhaustion, but he had to get to the bridge _now._

* * *

"You've got some stones on you, kid, that's for sure. Taking command when your sensei's hurt, facing me alone... You either have some brass balls or you're really stupid." Zabuza's gravelly voice grated in Naruto's ear.

"I'm probably just stupid. I finished last in my year at the Academy." The bandaged ninja laughed.

"You're too much, brat." Naruto glared at him, filling the air with as much killer intent as he could muster. "Those eyes... You have the eyes of a killer," Zabuza mused. "You can always tell by the eyes. Your team mates, they don't have them, but you... Tell me boy, who'd you kill?" Naruto just stared at the older man defiantly. "You can either tell me, or I can just kill you now."

Just as Naruto started to speak, he heard Sasuke yell in pain. The sound was muffled from the mist, but Naruto would know her voice anywhere. He twitched in the direction her voice had come from, but Zabuza cut him off.

"Think about it, brat. You're the only thing between me and the bridge builder, not to mention Pinky over there. If you so much as move to go help your little girlfriend, I'll kill them both before you have the chance to take two steps." Naruto growled, but stood his ground. "The life of a ninja isn't easy. It's full of hard choices." Zabuza's voice was filled with condescension. "Though you don't really have any options. Either way all of you are dead." The ninja let his killer intent wash over Naruto, but the blonde was determined to hold his ground. He wouldn't give this asshole the satisfaction of seeing him afraid. He returned the swordsman's glare as best he could. The mist ninja just laughed. "I like you, kid. I've decided that I'll let you play ninja for a little while longer. I promise not to kill you until after Haku kills your teammate."

Suddenly a flood of memories rushed through the blonde's mind. Kakashi was on his way. The blonde didn't know how he knew what his clone had seen, but now was not the time to explore the realization. Help was coming; he just had to keep Zabuza talking.

"Don't think that Sasuke's going down easy. She's really fast." _Come on, take the bait_.

The Mist shinobi waved his hand dismissively. "No mere Genin is as fast as Haku. Now, come on and give me everything you've got. Die fighting, like a true shinobi." _So much for keeping him talking_, Naruto thought as he and his clones rushed forward.

* * *

_"Fine, but if you die, I'll kill you."_

With that statement, Sasuke left Naruto's side and dashed toward the fake hunter ninja. The girl met her halfway, and they traded a flurry of punches and kicks. Neither of the kunoichi were able to land a solid blow, but Sasuke was able to drive the masked shinobi away from Naruto and Zabuza. _Or maybe she's leading me away from them._ Sasuke didn't like this plan, but Naruto had been adamant. She hoped he knew what he was doing.

Sasuke leaned back to let a roundhouse kick pass over her head, her pony tail almost brushing the ground. She continued the motion, placing her hands on the ground beneath her as she spun her legs into a retaliatory kick, which the girl Zabuza had called Haku back stepped to dodge. Sasuke completed her backwards motion, flipping over into a back handspring while drawing a kunai to deflect a pair of senbon arcing toward her face. The senbon were an odd choice of weapons; one had to be perfectly accurate to use them effectively and there were only a couple of places where a blow from one would be fatal.

Haku charged Sasuke again, and the Leaf Genin had trouble keeping up with her opponent's sheer speed. Sasuke had been the fastest in her graduating class at the Academy, and had only gotten faster since, but this Haku girl was certainly putting the her through her paces. _Naruto's counting on me to end this quickly. I've got to finish this._ Sasuke took a page from Naruto's book and absorbed a kick to the stomach in order to get ahold of her opponent. Holding Haku's left leg with both arms, Sasuke quickly slid her own leg behind Haku's right and pushed. The girl lost her balance and fell to the ground. She tried to regain her feet, but Sasuke still had her left leg secured. Her dark eyes flashing, she twisted it, hoping to break it at the knee, but the girl twisted with her in an amazing show of ability. The Leaf Genin was forced to let go of the leg in order to deflect a fresh salvo of senbon. One of the large needles slipped past her guard and buried itself in her shoulder, causing her to call out in pain.

_This girl is good_. Sakura dashed toward Haku, flipping over the girl as she tossed a pair of shurikan. The throwing stars were deflected in mid-air by a pair of senbon, and the two kunoichi clashed again. This time Sasuke was on the offensive, peppering her opponent with lightning fast kunai strikes. The masked girl managed to stay one step ahead of the blade, but she was still being driven back by Sasuke's relentless assault. Sasuke feigned a thrust with her kunai, but instead ducked low and sunk her fist into Haku's stomach, making the girl gasp for breath. Pressing her advantage, the onyx eyed Uchiha spun full circle and landed a crushing kick to the side of the girl's head. The blow knocked Haku off her feet and she skipped twice along the ground before coming to a stop. Haku was on her feet in a flash, catching Sasuke's thrown kunai by the handle. Haku spun quickly, throwing the kunai back its owner. Sasuke sidestepped as the knife missed her by less than an inch.

A cry of pain filled the air, cutting through the mist. _Naruto!_ The first cry was almost immediately followed by a second, louder scream. _He's dying! _ Sasuke glanced in the direction it had come from, but the dense fog obscured her view of the blonde. _Zabuza's killing him! I have to end this NOW!_

Sasuke shivered as the air around her suddenly dropped to freezing temperatures. Turning back to her opponent, all thoughts of ending the fight quickly fled from the Uchiha scion's mind as she watched Haku walk forward, her fingers in a a strange hand seal. The cold air was emanating from the kunoichi in waves, and Sasuke watched in horror as great blocks of ice formed around her, floating in midair, creating a large dome around Sasuke.

**"Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Mirrors."** Haku calmly spoke the name of the mysterious jutsu before literally stepping _into_ one of the mirrors, causing her to reflect onto all of them.

"You have been trapped by my ultimate jutsu. There is no escape." Sasuke shivered in the cold, looking from one mirror to the next. "Let us begin."

* * *

_ The Mist shinobi waved his hand dismissively. "No mere Genin is as fast as Haku. Now, come on and give me everything you've got. Die fighting, like a true shinobi."_

Naruto dashed towards the enemy shinobi, careful to keep at least one clone between him and Zabuza. The clones were expendable soldiers and could be replaced. Naruto, on the other hand, was just flesh and blood. Who knew when Zabuza would tire of this game and decide to kill him and his team mates?

However, the blonde also knew he had to keep the Mist Jonin's interest peaked until Kakashi arrived. If Zabuza grew bored he was likely to end the game. Naruto was walking a fine line between caution and recklessness.

His first clone reached the bandaged ninja and leaped into the air, aiming a flying haymaker at the Jonin's face. The Jonin backhanded the clone, dispelling it as two more came in from the sides with identical leaping kicks, but those, too were easily blocked and dispelled by Zabuza. The real Naruto was already high in the air courtesy of a boost from his fourth and final clone. The blonde formed the Ram seal as he dove towards the Jonin, and thirty more clones appeared in the air around him, each drawing a kunai.

**"Ninja Art: Human Pincushion!"** Naruto named the technique on the fly and winced at how lame it sounded. He and his clones flew at Zabuza, who was reaching for his sword. Ten clones died in one swipe of the zanbatou, eight more perished in the swordsman's reverse-grip follow up swing. Then the clones were on him, while Naruto landed a safe distance away. His blue eyes widened as the clones were all violently thrown back, skidding along the surface of the bridge. A few were even tossed over the railing. All of them had dispelled.

"**Human Pincushion?** Really? That's the best name you could come up with?" Zabuza's voice was filled with a mixture of incredulity and humor. "How about **Flying Dance of Death? **Or **Shadow Clone Evisceration Technique?** Kami, Genin are lame." Zabuza started walking toward Naruto, sheathing his massive sword. "Even so, I can't argue with your results, kid. I didn't think you'd even be able to touch me." The massive ninja pulled a silver kunai from his shoulder and twirled it in his fingers as he towered over Naruto.

"You're missing something, Zabuza." Naruto was smiling now, acting a lot more confident than he felt.

The Jonin put his head back and laughed long and hard. "What's that? No matter what you have up your sleeve, you can't hurt me."

Naruto smirked. "That's not a kunai." Zabuza's eyes widened as the silver kunai in his hand disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing another shadow clone. The clone immediately slapped something on Zabuza's bare chest.

"An explosive tag...? But how?" Zabuza didn't have time to react as the tag exploded, dispelling the clone and throwing Naruto and the Jonin back. Both skipped along the bridge's surface. The blonde Genin struggled to his feet, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his arm warmer. He retrieved another kunai from his pouch and looked for Zabuza, as the bandaged Jonin was nowhere to be seen. To be honest, we was surprised his ploy had worked. He had used one of his shadow clones to transform into a kunai, to be grabbed by another clone in midair. While he had been careful to keep the transformation hidden behind the wall of screaming clones, he had been sure that Zabuza had seen through the deception. Kakashi would have. Apparently the Jonin was still underestimating him.

"NARUTO! Behind you!" Sakura's voice rang out behind him. His sapphire eyes widened as he turned to see Zabuza. Killer intent was roiling off him in droves, and it was all Naruto could do to keep his feet under him. The Jonin's chest and neck were burned and slightly bloody. He grabbed Naruto by the wrist and lifted him high off the ground, ignoring the blonde's desperate attempts to break himself free.

"You really are something else, brat. You might've even made a decent ninja someday." His gravelly voice was mocking, but his dark eyes were flashing in anger as he wrenched the kunai from Naruto's hand.

_I'm not going to be killed with my own kunai!_ "Hey! Give it back!" _Now I DO sound like a child._ The blonde made a couple of swipes for the kunai, but his hands grasped nothing but air. He didn't know why, but there was something inherently wrong with seeing Sasuke's gift in someone else's hands.

Laughter danced in Zabuza's eyes. "Alright, kid. Take it!" The Jonin drove the kunai into Naruto's shoulder, causing the blonde to cry out in pain. "That's for stabbing me in the shoulder." Zabuza brutally twisted the kunai, eliciting a second scream of agony much louder than the first. "That's for the explosive tag." He dropped the Genin, but before Naruto could hit the bridge he was punted by a devastating kick. "That's for being annoying." Naruto skipped and skidded along the ground before slowing to a painful roll until he finally slid to a stop.

"NARUTO! NO!" Sakura screamed. Her voice was filled with panic. The boy looked up to see Zabazu towering over him, sword held high. Sakura was sprinting towards them, kunai in hand, her pink hair flowing behind her. She wasn't going to reach them in time. Tazuna was standing a bit further back, his face morphed into one of grief.

"Playtime's over, kid." The zanbatou arced down towards Naruto as time slowed to a crawl. _I'm sorry, Sasuke. _The boy closed his eyes, waiting for a blow that never came. Instead he heard the distinct sound of metal on metal. He cautiously peeked one eye open to see Kakashi standing over him, calmly blocking the massive sword with a kunai. His sensei had already lifted his headband to reveal his Sharingan; both of his eyes were filled with rage. Naruto scurried from beneath the feet of the two Jonin and carefully pulled the kunai from his shoulder, wincing in pain as the blade came free with a slight sucking sound.

"You've got one thing right, Zabuza. Playtime is over." The air around Kakashi positively crackled with energy; Naruto didn't think he'd ever seen his sensei so angry. "Good work, Naruto. Now go help Sasuke. You've done enough here: This piece of trash is mine."

Naruto didn't need to be told twice. He staggered to his feet slowly and ran in the direction that he had last heard Sasuke and Haku's battle, shuddering in pain with each step.

* * *

_"You have been trapped by my ultimate jutsu. There is no escape." Sasuke shivered in the cold, looking from one mirror to the next. "Let us begin."_

Almost immediately, senbon were flying towards Sasuke from every direction. The dark haired Uchiha exploded into motion, leaping, rolling, flipping. She was barely managing to stay a half step ahead of a majority of the senbon, though a few had managed to graze her arms and cheek. Not stopping for a moment, Sasuke spun gracefully and arced an explosive tag laden kunai towards one of the mirrors. Her obsidian eyes widened as Haku emerged from the mirror, grabbed the kunai and threw it back at the shocked Uchiha. The explosion was deafening, echoing off of the ice mirrors. Sasuke barely had time to recover before she was back in motion, ignoring the senbon embedded in her left calf.

_This is insane_! How was she supposed to fight an enemy she couldn't even see? _I have to get out of these mirrors._ Dodging another salvo of senbon, Sasuke flashed through a set of hand seals. **"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"** The ball of fire hit one of the mirrors squarely, even cracking it. However, the mirror started to repair itself and was in perfect condition in moments. The Uchiha heiress, flipping over yet another hail of senbon, tried to make a break for one of the gaps between the mirrors, but a solid kick to the chest had her gasping for air and tumbling back into the middle of the dome. Sasuke was on her feet in a flash, ducking more senbon. The needles passed through her hair and neatly sliced her hair tie, freeing the ebony locks from their pony tail. She was getting more than frustrated. Nothing seemed to be working, and she didn't have a chance to stop and think.

"Sasuke!" _Naruto! He's alive! Did he win?_ The blonde was standing outside of the ice dome, his fists clenched in frustration. He was bleeding from multiple injuries, but the worst by far was a gaping hole in his shoulder. Blood was steadily oozing from the wound and running down his arm; drops of the crimson liquid were steadily dripping from his fingers. His face was full of concern. He started towards a gap in the dome...

"NARUTO! Don't come in here! You'll get trapped, too! See if you can do anything from out there!" The blonde reluctantly nodded and disappeared from view. Sasuke howled in pain as a pair of senbon embedded themselves in her thigh, driving her to her knees.

Haku halted her relentless assault. "If the boy is here, then my master is in trouble. I'm sorry, but I'll have to kill you now." Time seemed to slow for Sasuke as she watched the fake hunter ninja travel from mirror to mirror, flying through the air. The girl tossed senbon at her at the pinnacle of each mirror transfer. Sasuke's normally dark eyes flashed red once, twice, and Sasuke could finally see her opponent, but it was too late. She wouldn't be able to dodge in time. Her vision was suddenly obscurred by bright yellow hair, and she felt strong arms envelope her. Naruto was holding her tightly to his chest, protecting her from the fatal blow. Naruto's entire body twitched with pain as each senbon embedded itself in his back, his neck, his arms and legs. Not a single needle hit Sasuke.

"You loser! I told you not to come in here! Now we're both trapped!" Sasuke pushed the boy away from her, seething in anger. He never listened! Her obsidian orbs widened as the blonde fell to his knees, coughing up blood. "Naruto?" The boy started to fall face first into the ground, but Sasuke was there to catch him. "Naruto!" She repeated, refusing to believe what her eyes told her. His back... Several dozen senbon protruded from his back, legs, and arms at odd angles. A single needle pierced his neck, blood seeping from the wound. His eyes were wide with shock and pain, and he was trying to speak.

"NARUTO!" Sasuke's eyes were wide in horror as tears streaked freely down her cheeks. "You loser! Why? Why did you save me?" Her voice echoed off the mirrors, filled with anger and pain. Sasuke held Naruto's head in her lap in some horrible nightmare version of their usual intimacy.

The blonde tried to speak again but failed, a horrible gurgling sound emanating from his throat. His eyes filled with determination. He lifted a trembling hand and placed it over his heart. Then, with great effort, he placed the hand over Sasuke's heart. Sasuke was sobbing now, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

Naruto tried to speak again, but his voice failed him. "Stop talking! Save you're strength. You're going to be fine, and it's all going to be okay. I promise! But you've got to stay with me." Sasuke's voice cracked in desperation. He was going to be fine. Naruto could do anything. The blonde's hand fell from her chest as the boy's cerulean eyes locked onto hers. He gave her a small smile as his eyes dimmed. "NO! Wake up, loser! I know you can hear me!" She shook him roughly, and his hand found hers. He was still giving her that sad smile, and his rapidly dimming eyes were filled with tears. She gently stroked his whiskered cheek. "Please don't leave me alone again," she begged softly, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her heart broke as she watched the last spark of light die in his eyes. Naruto Uzumaki was gone.

Sasuke heard footsteps and lifted her gaze to Haku, who had been standing in respectful silence. "I'm sorry for the loss of your precious person. If it is any consolation, you will be joining him shortly. Prepare yourself." The masked girl stepped into one of the mirrors and her reflection surrounded the still sobbing Uchiha.

Sasuke took a deep breath and silenced her sobs. Crying would not avenge Naruto. She reverently closed his sightless eyes and placed a soft kiss on the blonde's lips, ignoring the flecks of blood that stained them. An unbearable rage filled the Uchiha heiress as she laid Naruto on the ground, careful not to push any of the needles any further into his still form. It clawed its way through her chest, consuming her. She hadn't been strong enough to save Naruto, but she would be strong enough to avenge him. She stood silently, breathing deeply, reveling in the righteous anger that coursed through her body. When she opened her eyes again, her normally onyx orbs were a dark crimson, a single comma whirling around her pupil. She directed her hatred at the closest mirror, her Sharingan flashing.

"I can see you now, bitch. And I'm going to kill you."

* * *

Kakashi's second battle with Zabuza was nowhere near as destructive as the first. Both Jonin were still weak from their battle a few days prior, and this second contest was mainly a battle of Taijutsu and weapon play. Neither ninja had gained the upper hand, but both had landed several blows. It was only a matter of time before one of them made a fatal mistake.

The Leaf Jonin had a horrible feeling in his stomach and glanced in the direction Naruto had gone. Something terrible was happening, and he knew that his students needed him. He would have to finish his fight quickly.

* * *

Sasuke stood in the middle of the ice dome, silver kunai in hand. A pile of senbon had started to gather around her feet. The ice bitch was slowing down, and Sasuke had no need to dodge the needles anymore, preferring to just deflect them with Naruto's kunai. Her Sharingan was focused on the masked girl's movements, waiting patiently for her moment to strike. She could tell that the girl was running out of chakra, and her attacks had become less accurate. Haku started a particularly slow mirror transfer, and Sasuke struck.

Her dark hair billowing behind her, Sasuke leapt into the air, perfectly timing a devastating kick that sent the ice bitch crashing down to the bridge's surface. The girl stumbled towards a mirror desperately, but Sasuke cut her off. Standing between the girl and her precious mirrors, Sasuke delivered a series of punishing blows, finishing the combination with an axe kick that drove the kunoichi to the ground. The girl tried to stand, but Sasuke lifted the girl by her collar with one hand and drove Naruto's kunai into the bitch's stomach with the other. All fight left the enemy kunoichi and Sasuke let the girl crumple to the ground. Haku was shaking in pain. Sasuke stood over her, staring down at her opponent. She let her Sharingan fade; she didn't need it any more. The Uchiha heiress reached down and tore the mask from the girl's head roughly. Sasuke wanted to look in the bitch's eyes when she exacted her vengeance.

"I have failed you, Zabuza-sama," Haku turned her gaze to Sasuke. "Please, kill me. I have no purpose any longer." The girl's eyes filled with tears.

"Gladly," Sasuke snarled as her hands flashed through a few familiar signs. She almost laughed as Haku's eyes widened in fear. **"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu." ** Haku screamed in pain as she caught fire, kept screaming as her blood boiled and skin melted. The mirrors started melting around them, drenching the young Uchiha. Sasuke never wanted the screams to stop. To her disappointment, they only lasted a few moments. All that was left of Haku was a charred, smoking corpse. Sasuke waited for the same shock that had consumed Naruto to wash over her, but it never came. Instead, she felt energized... she felt _good_. Vengeance had been taken, justice had been delivered, and all was right in the world. She was an Avenger; she had been blind to forget her true purpose in life. Naruto could rest in peace.

_Naruto!_ The thought of the blonde broke Sasuke out of her blood lust. She suddenly felt sick with herself. What had she done? She had _enjoyed_ killing Haku, had _enjoyed_ her screams. She hadn't just been doing her duty as a ninja. She had intentionally killed someone in the worst way imaginable, and had felt good doing it. She was worse than Itachi, worse than Zabuza. Worse than Haku. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks as she stumbled her way to Naruto's still form. He would never look at her the same way again if he knew. She sat beside his body and pulled his head into her lap. She ran her fingers through his hair as she started to gingerly pull the senbon from his body. Sasuke started sobbing again, both for herself and for Naruto.

* * *

Kakashi pulled his hand from Zabuza's chest with a loud sucking sound. Zabuza had made a fatal mistake when he had let his attention wander. Both Jonin had heard the blood curdling screams echoing down the bridge, and Kakashi taken the opportunity to drive a lightning blade through the Mist ninja's heart. The silver haired Jonin watched dispassionately as the bandaged shinobi fell heavily towards the ground. Zabuza was dead before he hit the concrete. It was done. The threat over, Kakashi and Sakura walked through the rapidly dissipating fog, Tazuna trailing behind them. The big man was still shaking.

Kakashi sighed. This had been a rough mission on everyone involved, including the bridge builder. His pace quickened as he heard crying in the fog ahead of him, but stopped in his tracks as he tried to process the nightmarish scene. What could only be the hunter ninja was burned beyond recognition; the corpse was still smoking. A sobbing Sasuke was huddled over Naruto's body, clutching to the blonde for dear life. A pile of bloody senbon lay beside them, forgotten.

"NARUTO!" Sakura sprinted towards Sasuke and Naruto, sliding to a stop next to them. Kakashi could only watch dumbly as Sakura fell to her knees in disbelief. He had failed. Again. It was his fault. Again. Kakashi had allowed this mission to continue even though it risked the lives of his students, and Naruto had paid the price for his arrogance. He should never have been allowed to be a Jonin-Sensei, for only death and pain followed in his wake. First Obito, then Rin, then Minato-Sensei, and now Naruto.

Kakashi shook his head, trying to clear it. He could grieve later. His remaining students needed him, and he wouldn't let them down, not again. He stepped forward and knelt by Sasuke and Sakura, placing a hand on each of their shoulders. Sakura looked at him hopefully, tears falling from her green eyes, almost as if she believed that somehow Kakashi could make it all better. As if he could somehow magically bring Naruto back to life. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. What could he say? The silver haired Jonin sighed again.

"Sas...uke." Kakashi's head snapped in Naruto's direction. The boy's eyes had opened slightly, his blue eyes unfocused. The boy took a shallow breath. Kakashi whirled towards Tazuna.

"Where's the nearest hospital?" Kakashi asked urgently, his normally calm demeanor in shambles.

"Th... There's a clinic in the village by the town square. I don't think it's open..." The bridge builder's reply was cut off as Kakashi was already gone, taking Naruto with him.

* * *

**A/N: Well, there you have it! The Wave Arc is completed, but it has surely left its mark on each member of Team Seven. We'll have a single chapter exploring these consequences before starting the Chunin Exam Arc... It's going to be pretty awesome.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Sorry for the long update! I got a new beta, AlmostElectric, and she MADE me write out a plot summary and give it to her. I also had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. I've deleted and rewritten it three times, and I still don't like it. Geez... Lol. Anyways, AlmostElectric is an amazing writer herself, so check out her author page and definitely read Uzumaki. It's another FemSasuke story with some key differences to mine. Ultimately 'The More Things Change' will follow a much grittier, darker path than hers (from what I've seen in her story). Oh, and since I have a beta, you should expect fewer problems with punctuation and grammar, as well as better characterization.**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha was brooding on the clinic's rooftop, her soft hair blowing in the breeze. She hated herself for not being at Naruto's bedside, especially since he was there because he had sacrificed himself for her, but things were better this way. Sakura had been only too happy to fill the role of Naruto's caretaker, which had irked Sasuke to no end. The blonde probably had no idea that the pink haired Kunoichi was interested in him; Sakura was taking advantage of his naivete. Naruto had asked after Sasuke several times, according to Kakashi, but Sasuke had ignored his leading comments.

Sakura had been right, as loathe as Sasuke was to admit it. If Sasuke allowed things to progress with Naruto, then she'd end up hurting him. While Naruto may be hurt now, it paled in comparison to the havoc that she could wreak later. Naruto was already willing to die for her; she couldn't allow herself to be selfish and just give in to the feelings she had for him. After all, she was an Avenger. Gaining power to kill Itachi should be her only concern.

Sasuke cared about Naruto, certainly, but would she willingly die for him? Sasuke wasn't so sure. She was steadily getting the feeling that Naruto was more invested in the relationship than she was. He was a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, but he wasn't her Sun. It was a fine distinction that the Uchiha was forcing herself to address. More and more, Naruto's world seemed to revolve around the Uchiha scion while Sasuke was content to keep things as they were. They were friends who made out sometimes. Wasn't that enough?

"I thought I'd find you up here," Kakashi said behind her. "You shouldn't spend so much time alone."

Sasuke didn't move as the Jonin sat next her. His silver hair caught the breeze and the pair sat in silence watching the sun rise. "Sasuke, I wanted to talk to you about the bridge, as well as what happened in the square." Kakashi wasn't looking at her. "I should have done this sooner, but with everything... I thought you'd need some time to yourself." The Jonin eyed her as he continued. "I don't know what happened on the bridge between you and Haku. Naruto told me what he knew, but after he fell unconscious... well, you are the only one left who knows."

And that's a secret that you'll have to live without, Kakashi. Sasuke thought, eyeing her sensei. She could tell that Kakashi wasn't quite accusing her of any wrongdoing, but she doubted that he'd be thrilled she had burned Haku alive after the girl had surrendered. She had done the right thing by killing her, but she didn't think that Kakashi would approve of her methods. "I thought that she had killed Naruto," Sasuke said simply, turning her gaze back to the slowly lightening sky.

"I'm not reprimanding you, Sasuke. I know how fast a battle can go." Kakashi ran a hand through his hair, obviously frustrated. "I'm... concerned. You were very brutal against Gato's thugs. Unrestrained. That's not like you. I'm worried that you haven't forgiven yourself for Haku's death. After all, burning someone alive isn't a pretty first kill. It can't have been easy for you. I just... If you want to talk, I'm here. I'm sure Naruto would be, as well. He'd tell you himself, but apparently the two of you are not speaking at the moment."

"What's between Naruto and I isn't your business." Sasuke snarled. How dare he intrude on her private affairs? Who did he think he was?

Kakashi gave her an almost cold look. "Yes, it is. Especially when the pair of you are taking advantage of my absence to grope each other. You are professionals on a mission. Act like it. What you do in the village is your own concern. The moment you walk out of those gates, you represent the village, the Hokage, and me. Others judge the entire village based on your actions. Making out in Tazuna's kitchen doesn't send a good impression. Such behavior will not be tolerated in the future. Do I make myself clear?"

* * *

"Hn." Sasuke withdrew into herself again, her brief emotional outburst under control. Kakashi eyed her carefully. The young Uchiha's recent actions had been deeply concerning. No, scratch that. Her reactions to her actions are concerning. After the battle on the bridge, Kakashi had rushed Naruto to the village's clinic. The doctors there had been surprisingly adequate, and the Jonin let them do their job. The remaining members of Team Seven had reunited in the waiting room, and Kakashi had questioned all of them extensively about the events on the bridge. Sakura started talking at once, detailing exactly what had happened between Naruto and Zabuza. Every word, action, and blow had been accounted for in excruciating detail. However, his pink haired student had been interrupted by a commotion in the Town Square.

Apparently, the businessman who had hired Zabuza hadn't been happy with the ninja's death and had come to take it out on helpless villagers. The short, balding man had brought along thirty armed men, none of whom were ninja. Kakashi didn't think that the man expected to be confronted by three shinobi. The Jonin had made short work of him, ending the miserable pig's life with a kunai through the throat. He had then watched his students handle the remaining men. Sakura was fighting as expected. She used her kunai sparingly, more as a defensive tool against swords than an actual weapon. She had knocked out almost a dozen of the thugs. Sasuke, on the other hand, was literally slicing through the rest with reckless abandon. While that had worried Kakashi, her lack of emotion while she did it was the true cause of concern.

Kakashi shook his head. The girl may pretend like nothing touched her, but beneath her calm exterior was a veritable ocean of emotions. What concerned Kakashi was the kind of emotions she was hiding. Sasuke had been more than a little withdrawn since the battle on the bridge, and he wished that he knew what had happened. He felt responsible. If he had been there, then Naruto and Sasuke could have taken Haku together. Odds were good that the pair wouldn't have been trapped by the girl's mirrors, and that both would have come out of the situation relatively unharmed. As it was, Sasuke had even been avoiding everyone, including Naruto, who was easily the person she was closest to. The boy felt her absence and Sakura had been down as well. When the Jonin had asked Sakura about it, she simply stated that she hated being too weak to protect her team and gave him a look colder than any ice Jutsu.

Kakashi felt a pang of guilt. He had been focusing so much on Naruto and Sasuke that he'd been neglecting Sakura. True, Naruto was the son of his mentor and Kakashi was the only one that could help Sasuke develop her Sharingan, but that was no excuse to neglect the development of a promising young Kunoichi. He had a Jutsu or two in mind that he could teach his pink haired student and would do so once they had returned to the village. They would be leaving the Land of Waves today; Sakura was helping Naruto get ready for the journey.

* * *

Naruto and Sakura were packing. Rather, Sakura was packing while Naruto sat on the edge of the bed he had been confined to for over a week. Sakura glanced at the blonde. She had been amazed at how brave he had been. He had taken charge of a desperate situation, discreetly called for reinforcements, and stood toe to toe with a powerful Jonin. If he hadn't been facing such a strong ninja, his tactic with the exploding tag would have won him the battle. Sakura didn't quite know how Zabuza had survived the explosion, and when she had asked Naruto about it he just shrugged.

Sakura was happy at the moment. She suspected that she had guilted Kakashi into giving her some special training, Sasuke had started avoiding Naruto, and she had spent the last week hanging out with her favorite blonde. Sure, he was a little down, but it was better than nothing.

"Sakura?" Naruto was gazing at her, his head cocked to the side.

"Yes, Naruto?" Sakura was currently gathering all of Naruto's ninja gear and placing them in the appropriate packs.

"Why is Sasuke avoiding me?" The bottom dropped out of her stomach. Naruto had posed the question several times over the past week, and each time she had been unable to answer him. It hurt her to see him pine after Sasuke, but she managed to hide it behind a smile.

"Shouldn't you be focused on getting better? Stop worrying about your love life and help me." Her heart broke at the dejected look in his eyes. "I'll ask her if you want." Shit! She hadn't meant to say that. Now she would have to talk to Sasuke, and that was something she strictly avoided. She was rewarded with one of his sunshine smiles, though, so it wasn't a total loss.

"I'll just ask her later. Thanks anyways." Sakura just smiled and started loading Sasuke's stupid silver kunai into Naruto's pouch. She was tempted to just "forget" them, but sighed as the momentary temptation passed. After all, it would upset Naruto if they got lost.

* * *

Team Seven had been on the road for a little over an hour. The genin and their sensei had said their goodbyes to Tazuna, his daughter, and his grandson. Naruto had been a little choked up to have to say goodbye to Tazuna, but he had managed to hold in his emotions, for the most part. Naruto was at the back of their little procession, which was moving a lot faster than it had on the way to Wave Country. The group didn't have to slow down for Tazuna, after all.

Naruto stared at Sasuke's back, wondering what he had done to piss her off so much. He had racked his brain for over a week now, and he was thoroughly stumped. Nothing had changed during the battle of the bridge; everyone had been okay in the end. So why was she avoiding him?

"Alright. Ten-minute break, and then we're back on the road," Kakashi said, taking a long pull from his canteen. "I want to get back to the village tomorrow."

Team Seven nodded their assent, and Sakura started fumbling with her pack. Feeling bold, Naruto marched up to Sasuke. Her dark eyes stared up at him questioningly.

"We need to talk. Now." Naruto was using the same commanding tone he had on the bridge. He was sick of whatever game Sasuke was playing. It was immature. If she had a problem with him then she should come out and say it, not just avoid him altogether.

Sasuke arched an eyebrow. "Fine."

The duo walked a short ways away from where Kakashi and Sakura were munching on their trail rations. Sakura was watching them through narrowed eyes.

Naruto focused his attention on his ebon-haired team mate. "So what's going on with you?"

Sasuke arched her brow. "Nothing." Her voice was cold.

Naruto held his irritation in check. It wouldn't help anyone if he started ranting. "Well, something must be. Before the bridge, we were getting along fine. Now... You won't even look at me anymore."

Sasuke looked bored. "I'm looking at you right now."

"Don't get smart with me." Naruto snarled. "You know what I meant." The blonde was barely containing his frustration.

"The only thing that's changed is that I finally got my priorities in order. Now, if that's all..." The dark haired Uchiha turned to leave, but Naruto firmly grasped her wrist.

"What the hell does that mean?" Naruto was getting angry now. "What the hell, Sasuke?" Sasuke looked pointedly at her wrist, which was still in Naruto's grasp.

"It doesn't concern you," Sasuke said simply as Naruto relinquished her hand.

"The hell it does! I deserve to know!" Naruto was yelling now.

Sasuke's eyes flashed. "You deserve? You don't deserve to know what's going on in my head. You're not my husband; you're not even my boyfriend. You're just some boy that I played with for a while." She ignored his stricken face. "If you have to know... I watched you die, Naruto. I held you in my arms as you died. Do you honestly think that everything would just be okay after that? Did you think that we would just go back to how it was before?" She was crying now. Naruto started to pull her in for a hug, but Sasuke pushed him away.

"I'm sorry... I didn't think-" Naruto started before Sasuke cut him off.

"Naruto didn't think. There's a surprise," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. She took a moment to compose herself and turned back to him, her expression blank. "Stay away from me, Naruto. I know you mean well, but I'm only going to hurt you." With that, she turned and walked away, leaving a stunned Naruto in her wake.

* * *

Team Seven had been back in The Village Hidden in the Leaves for two weeks. Sakura had easily settled back into her old routine. Get up in the morning, get to the bridge, wait for Kakashi, do a D-Rank mission, then train for a little while before going home. After their C turned A-Rank mission, the pink haired Kunoichi was happy to get a little downtime picking weeds and chasing cats. She wished things between her teammates had gone back to normal, as well. Sasuke had been even bitchier than usual lately and Naruto had been downright depressed. She suspected it was continued fallout from their argument on the way back to the village, but she hadn't had the courage to ask him about it.

It hurt Sakura to see Naruto so sad. She would have done anything to cheer him up, but she couldn't think of anything. She had tried to ask him to hang out a few times, but Naruto left immediately after Kakashi relinquished them these days. Sakura sighed from her spot on Team Seven's bridge. She would get through to him today. She saw the whole thing in her mind. She'd convince him to hang out; he'd drag her to that ramen stand he always talked about. He'd be sad at first, but after a little empathy and coaxing his eyes would light up again. He'd start telling her about some funny thing Iruka-sensei had said, and she would just listen to his story, laughing and nodding in all the right places. After ramen, they'd walk through the village, window shopping. He'd spy a lovely necklace in the window, and insist on buying it for her. She'd politely refuse, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. Afterward, she'd pull her hair up, and he'd clasp the necklace. She'd turn around, gazing at his blue eyes... He'd pull her into an amazing kiss...

"Yo!" Damn you, Kakashi-Sensei! It was just getting good! "Sorry I'm late, but there was a little boy trapped in a well. His dog led me to him. I'm sure you understand." Sakura rolled her eyes. Their sensei was getting desperate for excuses if he started borrowing them from movies.

"Sensei! You're only ten minutes late! I think that's a new record."

Kakashi ignored Sakura's gentle ribbing and led Team Seven towards the training ground. "No mission today. Naruto, Jiraiya wants to see you. He has something important to teach you, so you'd better hurry." The blonde nodded and started trudging towards the hot springs. Sakura watched him walk away. Well, there goes my chance of getting him to open up today. Naruto's training with Jiraiya was usually an all-day affair.

"We're going to start with some sparring. Nothing lethal and nothing that could seriously injure. Start and stop on my mark." Kakashi waited for both girls to get into their stances. "Start."

Neither Kunoichi moved. They just stood there glaring at each other. "So, Sasuke, no Sharingan?" Sakura asked while molding her chakra. If she could keep Sasuke distracted, then the green-eyed Genin might be able to finally defeat her rival.

Sasuke smirked. "I don't need it against you." With that, the Uchiha scion dashed toward Sakura, aiming a kick towards her team mate's stomach... but missed. Sakura hadn't blocked, hadn't dodged, hadn't even moved. However, Sasuke's kick had missed its target by almost a foot. Sakura smiled as she slammed her fist into Sasuke's face. This genjutsu Kakashi had taught her was pure gold. It subtly messed with an opponent's depth perception. All it took to activate was eye contact and a slight push of chakra. It was almost impossible to detect without a Sharingan or very precise chakra awareness, but Sakura had taken care of that. Sakura's goading had almost guaranteed that Sasuke wouldn't use her dojutsu.

Sasuke stumbled from the heavy blow and tried to retaliate with flurry of blows in rapid succession. However, Sakura easily dodged the misaimed blows and countered with a hard kick to Sasuke's stomach. Sakura grinned widely. This was going to be a good day.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naruto was sitting in front of Jiraiya. The large man was telling one of his stories, but Naruto wasn't listening. He knew that he'd been sulking lately, but he found it hard to care. He had thought that giving Sasuke some space would fix things, but instead it had made things worse. They hadn't even spoken since their fight on the road, and the blonde didn't think that things would ever get back to normal. Why were girls so complicated? He didn't understand what was going on in her head, but she had made it abundantly clear that it wasn't his business.

"Naruto! What's gotten into you?" Naruto turned his attention to his sensei. The Sanin was looking at him expectantly. "You just missed a great punchline!"

"Sorry sensei, I've just got a lot on my mind."

Jiraiya nodded. "Is this about what happened on the way to the Wave Country? Kakashi told me you had a hard time coping with your first kill."

"No," Naruto shook his head. He felt reluctant to tell his sensei about his problems. Jiraiya would probably say that he was too young to be thinking about girls. Scratch that, the Sanin would probably decide to take him to a brothel.

"Look kid, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's getting to you."

Naruto sighed resolutely. "It's about... Sasuke." He winced at the big smile on his sensei's face.

"Girl problems, eh? Well, you've come to the right place!" The big man winked and gave him a thumbs up.

Naruto wasn't so sure. "I don't think you're perving will help me," he said honestly.

Jiraiya sobered almost immediately. "Kid, I've forgotten more about women than you'll ever know. Tell me what's going on and I'll help you the best I can." Jiraiya sat back as Naruto began to tell his sensei everything that had happened between him and Sasuke.

* * *

Sakura smirked as she held a kunai to Sasuke's throat. The battle hadn't gone on for nearly as long as she would have liked, but a ninja of Sasuke's caliber wouldn't have been fooled by a genjutsu for long. It had been kind of anticlimactic, really. She had daydreamed of beating She had literally spent years daydreaming of this moment and had built up quite the scenario in her head. It had originally involved all kinds of destructive Jutsu, flawless Taijutsu, and Kiba watching her in admiration. Recently it had been an admiring Naruto instead of Kiba, but the rest of the daydream had pretty much stayed the same. In reality, the spar had been a very short, tame affair with a single genjutsu and a few Taijutsu exchanges.

Sakura hadn't been too keen when Kakashi had offered to teach her genjutsu. She had, like most ninja, thought that the art of illusions was for those who were too incompetent to use real Jutsu. However, after learning that some of the strongest Jutsu in the world were genjutsu, she had taken more interest. Kakashi had told her that genjutsu were much easier and safer to create than Ninjutsu or Taijutsu. Apparently each genjutsu user learned a few basic techniques to get their feet wet and were then left to craft their own Jutsu. If the created Jutsu was a dud nothing bad would happen. The caster would simply have to revise the hand seals that went into the Jutsu and/or alter the amount of chakra they pumped into the Jutsu. If the creator of a ninjutsu made a mistake, however, the results could be drastic.

"That's enough," Kakashi said from his perch on one of the training posts. Sakura nodded and removed her kunai from Sasuke's throat, waiting for Kakashi's notes. He turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, can you tell me where you went wrong?" The girl just glared at him in stony silence. "You let your guard down. You underestimated your opponent and let her cast a genjutsu that you could have easily detected and dispelled. You let past victories cloud your judgment. No matter how many times you fight someone, no matter how many times you've beaten them, you always have to be on guard against new abilities and fight them with your full strength."

"She got lucky," Sasuke said, glaring at Sakura.

"No, she didn't. She was playing you from the moment I started the match and used your arrogance against you. It doesn't matter how powerful you become, Sasuke if you allow your opponent to outwit you. If Sakura had been an enemy shinobi, you'd be dead right now." Sasuke seemed like she wanted to argue, but Kakashi had already turned to Sakura. "You did very well. You took too long to make your move, however. Most experienced ninja can detect a genjutsu quickly, so you need to act fast once you use your technique." He gave her an eye smile. "But congratulations on your first win. I knew that genjutsu would be a good fit for you. Now run a lap around the village, both of you." The silver-haired Jonin pulled out a familiar orange book while both Kunoichi started jogging. He didn't miss the death glares they were giving each other.

* * *

Jiraiya had listened intently to Naruto's story, sometimes interrupting him to ask for clarification on what the blonde had told him. A few times the white haired ninja had told Naruto to tell him EXACTLY what Sasuke had said, what expression she had on her face when she said it, and what kind of body language she was using.

"Well, kid, looks like you have a toughie," Jiraiya said seriously once the blonde had finished. "It's hard to tell what any woman is thinking, but it's rare for a girl to be so hot and cold all the time. Sometimes it means she likes you more than she wants to, other times it means that she likes you less than she wants to and sometimes it means she's just bat-shit crazy."

"Thank you, Pervy Sage, for clearing that up." Naruto didn't try to hide his sarcasm.

The big man held up a hand. "Hold on a minute, I didn't say I couldn't help you, just that it's a tough situation to read."

"Then what do I do?" Naruto asked. He should've known that talking to Jiraiya about this would be a bad idea.

"Nothing. You do nothing. If she wants you in her life she'll make it happen. You've already done your best to talk to her. One thing you don't want to do is mope around after her like a puppy. Women don't like that; it makes you look weak. Live your life. Be happy."

Naruto wasn't sure if he could trust Jiraiya's advice, after all he'd never seen the Sanin with a woman. Sasuke wasn't like most of the girls he knew. On the other hand, the blonde was getting sick of sulking. It wasn't in his nature. To be honest, it was really boring. He looked up at his sensei, a small smile on his face.

"There he is! Alright, just for that I'm going to show you something super awesome!" The Sanin flashed through a few hand seals, but his thumb, and slammed his hand on the ground. A large cloud of smoke covered the area, and Naruto strained his eyes to see what had happened. When the smoke cleared, it revealed... a toad. A large toad, but still unmistakably a toad. Jiraiya was grinning at him like he had just shown him the secrets of the universe, but Naruto was nonplussed.

"So, what's with the toad?" Naruto finally asked.

"It's your lucky day! As the Toad Sage, I have decided that you will be the next summoner to sign the Toad Summoning Contract!" Jiraiya was still grinning like a loon.

"It doesn't look very strong..." Naruto started, but Jiraiya cut him off.

"The Fourth Hokage used Toad Summons to fight the Nine-Tailed Fox," Jiraiya said with a straight face. The Sanin had just said the magic words. Naruto's ambivalence had turned into sheer excitement.

"You're going to show me something the Fourth Hokage used? Awesome!"

That was the reaction that Jiraiya had apparently been expecting. The blue and orange toad unfurled its tongue, revealing a large scroll. Jiraiya unfurled the scroll on the ground, revealing a short list of names, each accompanied by a bloody handprint.

"Alright kid, sign your name and leave your mark." The blonde did as he was told, signing his name carefully. He didn't know who would sign this scroll after him, after all. He then bit his thumb exactly like Jiraiya had earlier. After dabbing each of his fingers in blood, he pressed them firmly against the scroll. Jiraiya carefully furled the scroll again and gave it back to the huge toad, who promptly disappeared in another cloud of smoke. "Alright, now give it a try. The hand seals are Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey, and Ram."

Naruto committed the hand seals to memory. "How much chakra do I use?"

"As much as you want." Jiraiya had an evil grin on his face.

Naruto nodded, formed the correct hand seals and slammed his hand on the ground like Jiraiya had done. He lost sight of Jiraiya in an enormous cloud of smoke. When it cleared, Naruto was barely able to hold in a surprised yell. He was standing atop a massive toad. The toad was easily taller than the tallest building in the village and then some. All of Team Seven could comfortably fit on top of his head with room to spare.

"Jiraiya!" The toad's voice echoed through the surrounding forest. "Why have you called me here?"

Naruto swallowed and found his voice. "I'm the one who summoned you. My name's Naruto Uzumaki." To his surprise, the toad started laughing.

"A pipsqueak like you summoned the great Gamabunta? Stop joking around and tell me where Jiraiya is!"

"I'm not joking!" Naruto shouted indignantly. "Jiraiya-sensei let me sign the Summoning Contract! That means that you have to help me in fights and stuff!"

The toad laughed again. "You've got spirit, pipsqueak. But spirit ain't enough to let you summon the Toads of Mount Myoboku! You've gotta have heart! Tell you what, if you can stay on my back until the Sun sets, I'll let you be my henchman."

Naruto guessed that was the Toad's best offer. "Alright, then! Let's do it!" He barely finished talking before Gamabunta hurled himself into the air, leaving Naruto to hang on for dear life. Neither toad nor boy saw Jiraiya watching with a huge smile on his face.

* * *

Naruto found himself trudging through the village on his way to Ichiraku's. He had barely passed Gamabunta's challenge, managing to stay on the enormous Toad's back until sundown. It hadn't been an easy task, however, and the blonde was exhausted. He didn't even see the daydreaming girl standing outside of the jewelry store until he had accidently bumped into her.

"Sakura? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked. The pink haired Kunoichi was blushing furiously, drawn forcibly out of whatever daydream she had been in.

"Nothing!" Sakura said quickly, her face matching her hair. She seemed embarrassed to be caught staring at the display, though Naruto didn't know why. Girls liked jewelry, didn't they? There wasn't anything odd or embarrassing about that. Sakura isn't really a normal girl, though.

"Okay. Listen, I was going to go grab some ramen. I'll catch you later." Naruto started to walk away, but she called after him.

"I'll come with you!" Naruto hadn't really been expecting any company, but hanging out with Sakura wouldn't be too bad, he guessed. Besides, if he was really going to 'get over Sasuke' then he'd have to start making new friends. Choji and Shikamaru were almost as busy as he was these days. Naruto didn't know why their Senseis were working them so hard, but it did make having friends difficult.

Naruto and Sakura walked to the Ichiraku's in silence. The blue eyed genin would have found it awkward if he hadn't been so tired. Sakura was being uncharacteristically quiet, which Naruto found weird. Plus, she kept staring at him. She'd blush and quickly avert her gaze once he caught her, but Naruto was getting more than a little annoyed. Did he have something on his face?

* * *

Sakura was on Cloud Nine. She was finally on a date with Naruto! Sure, he didn't know it was a date, but dinner was still a date, right? This was definitely going into her diary. The silence was getting a little awkward, but she had no idea what to say. The Kunoichi didn't exactly have a lot of dating experience, after all.

Say something... ANYTHING! You've talked to him a million times! Why is this so hard?

She kept trying to come up with a conversation starter, but every time she worked up the courage he'd look at her with those amazing blue eyes. She'd get lost in them for a moment and then realize she was staring again. Finally, she screwed up her courage.

"So, how was training with Jiraiya?" Smooth, Sakura, really smooth. She thought sarcastically. Ino had told her that it was an unwritten rule that ninja weren't supposed to talk about training or missions on dates; it usually killed the mood. Naruto didn't seem to know that, as he quickly launched into a story about summoning a Toad, of all things. Sakura found the story hard to believe, but she'd never known Naruto to be a liar. If he said he could summon Toads, he could summon Toads.

"...and then he told me that I could be his lackey and Summon Toads whenever I needed them! How cool is that?" Naruto was obviously excited about his new skill, and he had a right to be. Summoning contracts required a lot of chakra to perform and were really powerful. The Fourth Hokage had been a Toad Summoner, so they couldn't be all bad.

"That's really great, Naruto. What did Jiraiya say?" Sakura had been a little jealous when she found out that Naruto was learning from one of the three Sanin, at least until she met the Legendary Ninja. He was more than a bit... odd.

"He was really impressed. He said that no one got Gamabunta on their first try." His voice was filled with pride. Sakura didn't know what to say. This particular conversation seemed to be drawing to a close, and she hadn't had time to think of another topic. "So how was your training, Sakura?"

Sakura was surprised by the question, but quickly recovered. "Well, I finally won a spar with Sasuke today." The blonde's face fell at the mention of their third teammate. Nice going, Sakura. However, Naruto's expression brightened almost immediately.

"That's really great! So how'd you do it?" Sakura told Naruto all about the genjutsu that Kakashi had taught her and how it had helped her beat Sasuke. Before she knew it, they'd arrive at Ichiraku's

* * *

Dinner with Sakura wasn't bad at all. They had talked and laughed and Naruto was surprised at how easy it was to be himself with her. She honestly seemed interested in what he had to say, and apart from the weird staring at the beginning of the evening he was having a great time. It was almost like the old days with Sasuke, even though there were a lot fewer sarcastic moments. After they had their fill (Naruto with eight bowls of ramen, Sakura with only one.) Naruto put the meal on his tab. This made Sakura blush for some reason, but he was too tired to try and puzzle it out.

They chatted as they walked, and Naruto found himself where he had first bumped into his pink-haired teammate. Sakura's gaze immediately fell on one of the necklaces in the window, and Naruto could see why. It was a lovely silver necklace with a delicate chain. The focus of the jewelry was a five-petalled, silver flower with a bright blue gemstone in the middle. The gemstone reminded him of something, but he he couldn't remember where he had seen the color for the life of him.

"Why don't you buy it? It's not that expensive," Naruto asked.

Sakura blushed. "I couldn't. Something like that is more of a gift than anything. A lady doesn't buy her own jewelry."

Naruto shrugged. He could tell that it was something Sakura really wanted, and he did still have most of his C-Rank Mission pay. "I'll get it for you if it's supposed to be a gift," he said casually.

Sakura's blushed even harder. "I couldn't..."

"I insist," the blonde said firmly. He didn't know _why_ he wanted to buy her the necklace, but it just felt right. Besides, it would really make her happy.

Ten minutes later, Naruto and Sakura were walking out of the store, necklace in hand. She hadn't stopped blushing and Naruto was getting more than a little uncomfortable. He didn't know how to actually give it to her. Should he just hand her the box? Sakura seemed to sense his discomfort.

"Would you mind helping me put it on?" Sakura asked, her voice low. The look she was giving him was more than just a little intense, and he felt himself start to sweat. _When did this become so weird? _He nodded and pulled the necklace from its velvet prison. She turned, lifting her long hair away from her back. Gulping, Naruto wrapped the necklace around her slender neck, fumbling with the clasp. She turned back towards him, and green eyes met blue. A thousand thoughts raced through Naruto's head. He realized that he had done a lot more than buy a gift for a friend, and he wasn't sure how he felt about it.

"Thank you, Naruto-kun. It's beautiful," she said, fingering the necklace. "Walk me home?" Sakura's voice was still husky. Naruto nodded mutely, his mind racing. They walked in silence towards the Merchant Quarter of the village. He felt Sakura's dainty hand clasp his and his first reaction was to pull away, but he buried the impulse and allowed her to lead him towards her house. She stopped in front of a modest building. It wasn't nearly as fancy as Sasuke's, but it was definitely nicer than his own.

"Thank you for the wonderful date. I had an amazing time." Sakura's green eyes were focused on him and Naruto shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't intended for this to be a date, but there was no doubt that it had turned into one.

Naruto finally found his voice. "You're welcome. I had fun." He wasn't sure if he was telling the truth, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings. Sure, Sakura was pretty and everything, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was cheating on Sasuke. _Sasuke made it clear that she doesn't want anything to do with me. _He was shaken from his thoughts by a pair of soft lips on his cheek.

"Goodnight, Naruto-kun." Sakura blushed as she practically fled into her house. Naruto stared at the closed door for a moment.

_Why is my life so complicated?_

* * *

**A/N: I didn't have time to get this chapter beta'd, as it's been almost two weeks since my last update. Any spelling/grammar errors are totally on me, and not on AlmostElectric. Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter, and the next one will start the Chunin Exams.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Alright... Chapter Nine! I want to thank everyone who reviewed, as reviews are always greatly appreciated. This chapter will be another "down" chapter, no fight scenes this time. However, we're leading up to the Chunin Exams, which will start the next chapter. I had intended for this chapter to include the First Exam, but I found an excellent stopping point and decided to put the First Exam in the next chapter with the Second Exam.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Naruto. Giggity.**

* * *

Kakashi stood in the Hokage's office, surrounded by the other Jonin-Sensei. It had been almost two months since his team had returned from the Land of Waves, and the upcoming Chunin Exams had everyone on high alert. Though any overt attacks by the visiting shinobi would be a declaration of war, the fact remained that their guests were still ninja. Subtle information gathering had long been a custom of the Exams, and the Hokage was determined to disrupt any espionage against the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Hosting the Chunin Exams was a double-edged sword. Any Leaf Ninja participating in the Exam would have homefield advantage. In addition, it did wonders for the local economy, as dignitaries and noblemen would come from far and wide to see the Exam Finals. Though the First and Second Tests always differed from Exam to Exam, the Finals were always a no-holds-barred one-on-one tournament. While Kakashi didn't see how such a test could prove that a Genin was ready to be promoted, they were always entertaining.

He was in the Hokage's office to render his decision on Team Seven's readiness to participate in the exams, a decision that had him torn. While he had no doubts that his team could be competitive, he wasn't sure if any of them had the required skills to actually get promoted. He was loathed to risk their lives for a goal that may well be unattainable at the moment.

Sakura, who was by far Team Seven's most intelligent member, had come a long way from the Land of Waves. She had found a niche for herself on Team Seven. Utilizing her precise control of chakra, she had proven very adept at Genjutsu. Kakashi had taught her some of the basic Genjutsu that he knew, and the girl had soaked them in like a sponge. He could see that she would make an excellent medic-ninja, but he lacked the qualifications and time to begin her training in that particular area. He had continued to train her Taijutsu, though, and his most exuberant student had shown definite improvement. However, he wasn't confident enough in the Kunoichi's combat abilities to say that she'd be able to get promoted.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was well qualified to become a Chunin, at least in terms of ability. However, she lacked the proper leadership skills to coordinate properly and lead a team. He was sure that the Uchiha scion could wipe the floor with any competition in the one-on-one tournaments. However, he doubted that she'd be able to do it in a way that showed her potential as a Chunin. After all, there were Genin who were powerful enough to be Jonin, but lacked the proper temperament for leadership.

That left his final student, Naruto.. If any of his students passed the exams, it would be him. He had already shown flashes of strategy and leadership, especially on the bridge against Zabuza. If the Exam judges had seen that fight, then the blonde would be a Chunin already. He had taken charge of a desperate situation, secured backup, kept his team alive and completed his mission. Also, his sleight of hand against Zabuza would have killed a lesser opponent. Kakashi still didn't know how Zabuza had survived an exploding tag to the chest, but he was unlikely to get answers on the subject. If the masked Jonin had been there, he would have likely been able to divine Zabuza's escape method.

Naruto had only improved since that battle, however. According to Jiraiya, the boy had signed the Toad Contract and was able to Summon Toads at will. In addition, the blonde had improved enough in the Jutsu that he was able to specify which Toad he wanted to summon. Jiraiya had also taught him how to use combat Fuinjutsu. The Sanin had told Kakashi that Naruto had become proficient at the **Fuinjutsu: Weight of the Earth** seal, as well as creating his exploding tags. **Fuinjutsu: Weight of the Earth** was a mid-level combat seal that would double gravity's effect on a target. The affected target would find it difficult to move, much less fight. It was a precursor to the much more complex Fuinjutsu: Weight of the Heavens, which was twice as potent.

A sudden hush drew Kakashi from his thoughts. The elderly Hokage had quieted the murmuring Jonin with a raised hand, his eyes surveying those present. Kakashi had always felt a little sad whenever he stood in this office. Memories of its previous inhabitant, the Fourth Hokage, always surfaced every time he was here. Pushing them back, the masked Jonin focused on what the Hokage was saying.

"As all of you know, the Chunin Exams will be coming to the Village Hidden in the Leaves next week. Genin teams from all of the Elemental Nations are trickling into our village every day. It is time for all Jonin Sensei present to either nominate or disqualify their teams from participating in the exams."

Kakashi's attention started to waver as Jonin of older Genin teams began designating their students for advancement. His old friend Guy, an eccentric but good-hearted ninja, was the first to nominate his team. He did so in a very exuberant and most youthful fashion.

"I, Asuma Sarutobi, Jonin Sensei of Team Ten, nominate Shikamaru Nara, Ino Yamanaka and Choji Akimichi for participation in the Chunin Exams." Kakashi whirled towards his bearded colleague. If Team Seven wasn't ready, there was no way that Asuma's team was. Kakashi knew for a fact that he had spent more time training his students than any of their graduating class. Asuma had spent the least. Did Sarutobi honestly believe that Ino could match up against the likes of Neji Hyuuga and Rock Lee?

The surprises didn't stop there, however. Kurenai stepped forward as soon as Asuma stepped back. "I, Kurenai Yuhi, Jonin Sensei of Team Eight, nominate Kiba Inuzaka, Hinata Hyuuga and Shino Aburame for participation in the Chunin Exams." Kakashi Hatake couldn't help but stare at his colleagues, his single visible eye wide in shock. How could they be so irresponsible? The exams weren't a game. Students died during the Chunin Exams more often than anyone liked to admit. Sending in Rookie Teams was like signing their death warrant. Older Genin would focus on them, thinking them easy targets. More often than not they were correct. Kakashi refused to put his Team in any more unnecessary danger. He had already failed them once on the bridge. He wasn't going to let his arrogance cost them their lives.

The rest of the Jonin present looked at Kakashi as if expecting him to speak next. "What?"

Might Guy pushed several other Jonin aside in his rush to reach Kakashi. "Kakashi! Aren't you entering your youthful students into these Exams?" Guy was practically frothing at the mouth, most likely due to excitement.

The masked Jonin just shrugged. "No."

Asuma and Kurenai gaped at him. "Why... Why not?" Asuma asked, his cigarette hanging comically from his bottom lip. "You have the Rookie of the Year on your team."

Kakashi gave the bearded Jonin a hard stare. "It's my responsibility to keep them alive. I'm not so arrogant and irresponsible to pit my inexperienced students against seasoned opponents for the sake of a test that they probably won't pass." Kurenai took a step back, looking as if Kakashi had physically slapped her. Asuma glared at the silver haired Jonin belligerently. "Can either of you honestly say that you expect your students to pass this Exam and get promoted? Kiba couldn't lead a team out of a paper bag. Shikamaru might, but he'd be too busy calling the situation 'troublesome' to do anything." Kakashi lifted a placating hand as he continued. "Don't get me wrong, my Team isn't so much better. The only student I have that even has a chance for promotion is Naruto, but I have serious doubts about my other students' chances of getting promoted."

Asuma looked as if he was about to argue, but Kurenai placed herself between the two Jonin. "Whether or not they pass isn't important, Kakashi. This is a valuable learning experience. Our Genin will be able to see for themselves where their faults lie."

Kakashi was dumbstruck. Did Kurenai honestly believe the nonsense spewing from her mouth? "A valuable learning experience? That's what D and C-Rank Missions are there for. If either of you took the time to actually train your students, then they'd already know what their faults are." It was rare for Kakashi to lose his cool, but Asuma and Kurenai were getting under his skin.

"That's enough!" The Hokage's fist slammed on his desk. "I will not have you bickering like school children!" The aging shinobi turned to Kakashi. "I need your official statement, Kakashi."

Kakashi gave his colleagues one final glare before stepping forward. "I, Kakashi Hatake, Jonin Sensei of Team Seven do not nominate Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki for the Chunin Exams." Kakashi knew that his students, Naruto, in particular, would be disappointed by his decision, but it was truly in their best interests.

The Hokage regarded Kakashi for a moment. The silver-haired shinobi calmly returned the elder ninja's gaze, fighting to regain his calm demeanor.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi, but I must overrule your decision." The masked Jonin was stunned. He had never heard of a Hokage nominating a team against their Sensei's wishes. "Your team is one of our most talented Genin squads," The Hokage continued. "Displaying our military prowess is one of the key facets of hosting the Chunin Exams. We must give a strong show of force."

Kakashi had a flash of insight. "You mean that the nobles are anxious to see what the 'Last Uchiha' can do." The bitterness in his voice cut across the large office. The masked Jonin snatched three admission forms from the Hokage's desk and turned to leave. He paused at the oversized door. "Minato-Sensei would be disappointed," Kakashi said, not bothering to face the Third Hokage. He knew his parting barb had connected.

Closing the door behind him, Kakashi started down a spiral staircase that would lead him outside. Kakashi still had an ace up his sleeve: Even the Hokage couldn't force a team to compete in the Chunin Exams. His students still had to sign the admittance papers, something that he'd discourage his team from doing. Slightly cheered, Kakashi stepped into the daylight and started for the bridge. At least he'd be able to tell the truth about why he was late...

* * *

Naruto and Sakura strode through the Village Hidden in the Leaves on their way to the bridge. Ever since their impromptu "date," the pink haired Kunoichi had taken to showing up at Naruto's apartment each morning. The practice bothered Naruto, but he decided against making an issue of it. He didn't have so many friends that he could start alienating the few he had. It seemed to make Sakura happy to walk with him to the bridge, so Naruto put up with it.

Naruto was starting to regret his "date" with Sakura, however. She seemed determined for a repeat, and it turned out that she was very tenacious. Naruto didn't understand how Kiba could put up with half a dozen girls following him around everywhere; just one was enough to give the blonde a headache. He mostly enjoyed Sakura's company, except when she was badgering him for a date or invading his personal space. Naruto was tempted to go out on another date with her if only to get her to back off for awhile. However, a voice in the back of his head told him that doing so would just exacerbate the problem. Instead, he had begun avoiding her whenever she entered "hyper-clingy-mode."

Thankfully, Sakura was her usual self this morning. The pair was chatting amiably about their respective training regimens. More accurately, Naruto was going into great detail about all the Toads he could summon while Sakura listened intently. Naruto was just about to tell Sakura about Gamakiro, a man-sized Toad with a giant shield, when he was abruptly cut off by shouting a short distance away. Exchanging a look with Sakura, the duo darted down a side alley to investigate the disturbance. Naruto stopped in the middle of the lane, as he couldn't quite comprehend what he was seeing.

A teenager a year or two older than Naruto was holding a small boy in the air by a ridiculously long scarf. The boy was kicking and yelling, trying to break free of the much larger boy's grip. A girl was watching the show without enthusiasm. The situation wouldn't be too weird in and of itself, except the teenager was one of the most outlandish people that the ex-Jinchuuriki had ever seen, and he dealt with Jiraiya on a daily basis. The older boy was dressed exclusively in black, complete with some strange square hood that made it look as if he had cat ears. He also wore a great deal of makeup. Completing the look was a strangely wrapped bundle strapped to the boy's back. Naruto also noticed a Hidden Sand headband on the boy's forehead.

Naruto vaguely recognized the child that the strange teen was holding. Kono-something. The kid was the grandson of the Hokage. Naruto felt a dull rage in the pit of his stomach. Some foreigner was bullying the Hokage's grandson, and Naruto was not going to stand for it. His first instinct was to rush in and start a fight, but the only male member of Team Seven was able to keep himself in check. Instead, the blonde calmly walked toward the still struggling pair, pulling a silver kunai from his hip pouch and twirling it between his fingers. Sakura followed close behind him, automatically following his lead.

"You know, it's probably not a good idea to mess with the youngest relative of the Hokage," Naruto stated casually, forcing a bored expression on his face. "The Anbu already dislike outsiders."

All three ninja turned towards him, and Naruto was able to get a good glance at the Kunoichi accompanying the odd teen. She would have been gorgeous if it weren't for her rather strange hairdo. Were four ponytails really necessary?

"You'll stay out of this if you know what's good for you," the cat-eared boy said, his eyes shifting towards the kunai dancing between Naruto's fingers.

Naruto arched an eyebrow. "I think the cat boy is trying to intimidate me," he said, turning to Sakura. "It'd probably be more efficient if he wasn't wearing makeup." Sakura stifled a giggle, hiding her smile behind a dainty hand.

"IT'S WAR PAINT!" The older boy shouted, dropping Kono-whatever-his-name-was. The boy landed roughly on the hard ground but didn't seem any worse for wear. He quickly scrambled on all fours behind Naruto and Sakura, his long scarf dragging behind him.

"Kankuro, settle down," the Sand Kunoichi drawled from the sidelines. She was staring at Naruto intensely, a small blush on her cheeks. A less experienced Naruto wouldn't have understood what the blush meant, but he had been receiving the same look from Sakura for weeks. The blonde ignored the urge to facepalm. The last thing he needed was more unwanted attention than he already had. Sakura evidently noticed the Sand ninja's stare as well; the Leaf Kunoichi had subtly placed herself between Naruto and the older girl.

"Stay out of this, Temari! This loser is mine!" Kankuro had retrieved the strange bundle on his back and slammed one end into the dirt. Naruto noticed what appeared to be hair poking through the bandages at the top of the bundle.

Does he have a person in there? Naruto thought wildly. Despite his best efforts, the situation was rapidly deteriorating.

"Enough, Kankuro. You're embarrassing us." Naruto whirled to see another Sand ninja behind him. Sakura squeaked with surprise. I didn't even hear him!

The newcomer was stranger than Kankuro and Temari put together. He didn't look to be any older than Naruto, but his killing intent was almost tangible. The boy's blood red hair contrasted sharply with his pale complexion. Dark circles ringed his light green eyes and had the Kanji for "Love" tattooed upon his forehead. He also carried a large gourd on his back. The metallic smell of blood surrounded the Sand ninja.

Naruto tightened his grip on his kunai; he didn't care about looking cool anymore. This boy was trouble, not to mention the fact that they had Naruto and Sakura outnumbered. He considered creating a few shadow clones to bring in backup, but that might only start a fight that the blonde was trying to avoid.

"G...Gaara!" Kankuro stuttered, shock and fear written on his face. "I was just..."

"Shut up, or I'll kill you," Gaara's monotone voice made the threat even more disturbing. Just who was this kid? The redhead turned to Naruto. "Who are you?"

The blonde hesitated before answering. "Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki."

Gaara nodded as if he was engraving the name into his very soul. "Very well, Naruto Uzumaki. The next time we meet, you're going to prove my existence."

Naruto had no idea what the little sociopath meant by that, but he was sure that it couldn't be good. Am I the only sane ninja in the world? Seriously. The blonde thought, not taking his eyes from Gaara.

"Come on, we're leaving." Gaara collected his siblings and walked away without another word.

Naruto sighed in relief. He had no idea what the three Sand ninja were doing in the village, but the blonde made up his mind that he and Gaara would never cross paths again.

"WOW! You're so awesome!" Naruto turned towards the boy he and Sakura had saved. "Can I be your apprentice?" The boy was twitching in excitement and staring up at Naruto with a look of sheer awe.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sasuke Uchiha leaned against the bridge's railing, waiting for her team to arrive. She had shown up at her usual time, but Naruto and Sakura were nowhere to be seen. She couldn't help but wonder where they were, and she found herself desperately hoping that they weren't together. While watching Sakura hit on Naruto was annoying, Sasuke was more irritated by the fact that it bothered her. She was supposed to be over the blonde, but seeing Sakura prance around with that tacky necklace had irked her more than she cared to admit.

Sakura had shown up one day wearing the jewelry, loudly thanking Naruto for his kindness. The pink haired kunoichi had stared directly at Sasuke when she hugged their male teammate. To his credit, Naruto had seemed uncomfortable by the entire situation. Sasuke didn't know how Sakura had tricked Naruto into giving her the necklace, but the ebony haired Genin suspected that Genjutsu had played a part. Illusion Jutsu had proven to be Naruto's big weakness, after all. Even when he knew he was in a Genjutsu, the blonde was unable to disrupt his chakra flow and thus break the illusion.

It had led to some interesting results in team spars. Sakura's Genjutsu was worthless against Sasuke's Sharingan while almost always guaranteeing a win against the team's strongest member. Naruto, on the other hand, was able to defeat Sasuke regularly in their spars, Sharingan or no. His overwhelming physical strength far surpassed Sasuke's, and his speed nearly matched her own. Combined with his endless supply of clones he made a mighty warrior, indeed. His quick progress from dead last to the strongest rookie Genin had annoyed Sasuke almost as much as Sakura's stupid necklace. Why wasn't she improving at the same rate? The dark haired Uchiha suspected that it was because he was receiving extra training from Jiraiya of the Sanin.

Sasuke was shaken from her thoughts by a very loud voice heading in her direction. To her irritation, she saw Naruto and Sakura walking towards the bridge. Both looked extremely annoyed at their third companion, who seemed to be an Academy student. The boy was the source of the commotion, and his high-pitched voice was grating on Sasuke's nerves.

"And then you were like, put him down or else, cat boy! And he was like, 'No don't hurt me!'" The boy was practically running circles around the two Genin. "And then..."

"That's not how it happened, Konohamaru," Naruto said tiredly, running a hand through his golden hair. "Anyways, we're here. It's time you went to school or something."

"I was going to stay and watch you train!" Konohamaru seemed like he was going to wet his pants from excitement.

"NO!" Naruto and Sakura shouted in unison with matching looks of horror. The blonde knelt down to look Konohamaru in the eyes. "We have a lot to do today," he said kindly. "Now run along and tell Iruka-Sensei I say hi."

Konohamaru bowed his head, crestfallen. "Will you play with me later? My friends and I like to play 'Ninja' after class."

Sasuke snorted. A ninja playing 'Ninja?' How stupid was that?

"If I have time," Naruto said, ruffling the boy's spiky hair. "Now go get to class." Konohamaru nodded and ran off, a big smile on his face.

Sasuke had watched the entire scene from the corner of her eye. Why did Naruto put up with such an annoying kid? Then there was Sakura, who had watched Naruto with a small smile on her stupid face. Sasuke shook her head. Naruto should be focused on training, not playing around like a child.

The blonde looked in Sasuke's direction, and she quickly averted her gaze. She hated that he could get under her skin. One look was all it took for her to want to kiss the boy senseless. Sasuke blamed it on hormones. She had long since come to the conclusion that she cared for Naruto far more than she had originally thought, but that just made her want to avoid him more. She couldn't bear hurting him more than she already had. Maybe after she dealt with Itachi...

"Yo!" Kakashi's usual greeting broke Sasuke from her daydreaming. "Sorry I'm late, but there was a Jonin meeting at the Hokage tower. I'm sure you understand."

Sasuke started. That excuse was almost... believable.

* * *

Kakashi Hatake was beyond frustrated. His plan to discourage his team from participating in the Chunin Exams had failed spectacularly. The moment he had mentioned the upcoming Exams, Naruto and Sasuke had practically ripped the admission forms from his hands. Both Genin had signed the papers on the spot. Sakura had taken hers as well, with only slightly less enthusiasm. She, too, had signed her form with a flourish.

Now, three days later, Team Seven stood in front of the Academy, where the First Exam was to take place. Kakashi secretly hoped that his team would fail the written test, keeping them safe from the rigors of the Second Exam.

"Alright, you three. Take care of each other and remember: Teamwork first. You can overcome any obstacle if you work as a team. Don't be afraid to fail. You'll have plenty of opportunities to take this Exam, so don't treat it as a one-time deal. If you're given the choice between failure and death, choose failure. There's always next time." All three Genin nodded solemnly. "Good luck."

As he watched his students step through the Academy doors, Kakashi couldn't shake the feeling that the Chunin Exams would change his team forever.

* * *

**A/N: And that's Chapter Nine! I had originally planned on getting through a large portion of the exams with this chapter... but the story kind of got away from me. I know it's a little shorter than my usual chapters, but this felt like an excellent stopping point. Expect the next update VERY soon, as it's already partially written lol. As always, reviews are appreciated.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: AND WE'RE BACK! After a long hiatus, caused by a broken computer followed by a horrible case of writer's block, The More Things Change is back in action! I'm glad to bring you Chapter 10! I want to thank everyone who's reviewed since I've been gone. Thanks to Yoshima-sama for being the beta for this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If you recognize it, it's not mine****.**

* * *

Naruto followed his team mates up the Academy stairs. His emotions were in turmoil: a mixture of excitement and anxiety, along with a healthy dose of fear. That Gaara guy was going to be participating and he gave the blonde chills. Even worse, Naruto and Sakura's encounter with the sand Genin had made Team Seven targets for the obviously disturbed Gaara. If the rest of the contenders were as dangerous as the red-haired sand ninja, then he knew that his team would have a lot of trouble surviving, much less passing.

As the group left the stairwell, they saw a crowd of Genin trying to enter the exam room, only to be rebuffed by a pair of leaf Genin. Naruto burned in anger. He didn't know who these guys were, but they were giving the Leaf Village a bad name.

"Please, let us pass," a tall boy in green spandex shouted. He had a horrible bowl cut and some of the largest eyebrows that Naruto had ever seen. His bright orange leg warmers clashed horribly with his spandex, and his hands were taped up to the elbow.

The Leaf Genin guarding the door just laughed. "If you can't get by us, then you have no right to be here in the first place."

Rolling his eyes, Naruto stepped forward. "You're disgracing the village. Stand down."

"Who's going to make us, pipsqueak? You?" the older boy sneered.

"Maybe," Naruto shrugged and slid a kunai knife from his pouch, twirling the silver blade before balancing it on his index finger.

"Naruto, it's not worth it," Sakura said, sidling beside her team mate. Sasuke stood on his other side, glaring at the two bullies.

"What do you mean? We have to get through the door to take our exam!" Naruto couldn't believe her. He knew that she hated unnecessary fighting, but Naruto wasn't about to be pushed around by a couple no-name Genin.

Sasuke rolled her eyes. "You're so gullible. We're not even on the right floor. Surely you noticed that we only went up one set of stairs? We're in a Genjutsu."

The other prospective Chunin groaned, Naruto among them. How could he have made such a fool of himself? Before he had a chance to retort, however, the boy with the crazy eyebrows dashed to Sasuke's side, professing his undying love and complimenting her "youthful beauty," whatever that meant.

Naruto was surprised that he didn't feel jealous. Maybe it was because the boy wasn't a threat. Maybe it was because he was finally moving on from his raven haired teammate. Whatever the reason, watching Sasuke back away in terror and revulsion was one of the funniest things he had ever seen. He managed to suppress the urge to laugh, but it was a close thing. His mirth, did not go unnoticed by the boy, who turned to glare daggers at Naruto. It would have been more intimidating if his eyebrows didn't take up half his face.

"Is my youthful expression of my feelings funny?" The boy was obviously pissed. "Who do you think you are?"

Naruto's first instinct was to kick the boy's ass up and down the hallway. However, he managed to control himself and instead just shrugged. "I just think it's funny that you claim to love her. I've never even met you before, Bushy Brows, and she and I hang out all the time."

The other boy seethed. "I am Rock Lee, the Beautiful Green Beast of the Hidden Leaf!"

"Never heard of you," Naruto quipped. The boy was really getting on his nerves.

"Come on, Naruto, let's get out of here. We still have to check in," Sakura said, latching onto the blonde's arm. He let her lead him back towards the stairwell, ignoring Lee's shouts of a rivalry. Naruto already had a rival.

* * *

Sasuke and the rest of Team Seven finally made it to the correct room. She was still in a state of mild shock. Some odd boy had just announced his love for her in front of everyone. She had never met the boy before, and if she never met him again it would be too soon. It had been a long time since anyone had fallen all over her like that; all of the boys at the academy had learned better a long time ago.

What really bothered her was that Naruto had laughed about the whole thing. He hadn't cared that some other guy was hitting on her. In fact, the blonde had seemed to find the entire situation humorous. She was ashamed to admit that when she had seen Naruto's reaction, she had been tempted to take the odd boy up on his offer of a relationship if only to see the blonde's reaction. Thankfully, she had managed to control that particular impulse.

Sasuke watched Naruto greet his friends Choji and Shikamaru. The three of them started chatting and laughing. Even Sakura and Ino had started up a conversation. The raven haired Genin couldn't help but feel a pang of loneliness. They were supposed to be her team mates; they shouldn't be fraternizing with the enemy, and for the sake of the exam, anyone outside of Team Seven was an enemy.

An older teen with glasses and silver hair had tried to catch Sasuke's attention, but she pointedly ignored him. She knew she was being an unreasonable bitch, but she honestly didn't care. She'd rather brood in silence than talk with some guy she didn't know.

Sasuke attention was diverted when a smoke bomb went off at the end of the room. All conversation in the room halted as the Genin waited with bated breath for the smoke to clear. After a few moments, a figure stepped out of the smoke cloud. He was dressed all in black, his face heavily scarred.

"Listen up, you maggots! My name is Ibiki Morino. As of this moment, I am your worst nightmare." The man's voice was gravelly. "I am the proctor for the first test of this year's Chunin Exams. You'll all be happy to know that this year, the first exam is a written test. Follow me."

The Genin all followed the man into an adjoining room. The room was large, with long tables in neat rows. As the Genin entered, they were given a seat assignment. Sasuke noticed that each team member was seated far away from their teammates. Naruto was sitting near the front, while Sasuke was on the far right about halfway back. Sakura was in the back row on the left. Chunin were lining the left and right walls, clipboards in their hands.

"When I call for you to start the test, turn your papers over and begin. You start the test with all ten points. For each wrong answer, you lose a point. If you are caught cheating, you lose two points. If you reach zero points, you and your team are disqualified from the exam." Ibiki took a look around the room. "Begin!"

Sasuke turned the paper over and read the first question. Then read it again. _What the hell?_ It was a complicated mathematical equation based on kunai flight speed and trajectory arcs. She was sure she could solve it, but it would take her awhile. It'd be best to move on and come back to it. However, the next question was even more complicated, and each of the following questions were more difficult than the last.

_There is no way in hell that Naruto could solve any of these, _Sasuke thought. It's not that she thought the blonde was stupid, far from it. However, she doubted if anyone in their year besides herself, Sakura, and _maybe_ Shikamaru could answer any of these questions. There had to be something more to this test. Then it came to her like a bolt of lightning. They were _supposed_ to cheat. The test wasn't about knowledge. It was about information gathering. Sasuke activated her Sharingan and started copying from some geeky older Genin.

* * *

Sakura had divined the true intent of the test almost as soon as it begun. However, the pink-haired kunoichi didn't have a single jutsu that would be effective in this situation. She'd have to do her best to answer the problems honestly. She tried not to think about Naruto, who also didn't have an information gathering jutsu. Sakura started to think that it was a flaw in their training. However, she saw Naruto writing diligently up at the front next to Hinata. _Lucky jerk,_ she thought. Hinata could definitely get the answers with her Byakugan, and she was most likely letting Naruto copy from her paper.

Team Seven didn't so much as flinch when the proctor, Ibiki, announced that the tenth question would be all or nothing. Sakura did feel a bit nervous when he had said that failure would eliminate them from ever being advanced, but she quickly realized that he was bluffing.

The most surprising of all was that some students actually believed him. Surely they knew that no proctor could disqualify them from promotion, right? After more than half of the remaining teams filed out of the room, Ibiki gave everyone a final chance to quit. Two more teams raised their hands and left, leaving only a dozen or so teams left. Finally, Ibiki called the exam over and explained that they had all passed.

* * *

Naruto rolled his eyes, thinking about how stupid this exam was. He hadn't needed to copy from Hinata at all. If he had left the page blank, then he could have just stuck around for the tenth question and automatically pass. Now he owed the lavender eyed Genin a favor, and he had no doubt that payment would involve some sort of date. He decided he'd wait for her to ask. After all, there was no point in _looking_ for trouble.

_Not that that has ever helped_, he thought uncharitably.

Out of nowhere, a loud crash split the air as someone smashed through the window. The genin all craned their heads to see a kunoichi whose outfit consisted of little more than a jacket, a mesh bodysuit and a skirt that covered practically nothing.

"All right, twerps! No time for celebrating! I'm Anko Mitarashi, the proctor for the second exam! Follow me!" The kunoichi was very high strung, waving her arms as she talked.

"You're early." Ibiki said, though there was no real malice in voice. "Again."

After some friendly banter between the two Jonin, Naruto and the rest of the Genin followed Anko towards the training grounds. He quickly fell into step beside Sasuke and Sakura.

"Was that the dumbest test ever, or what?" He asked, trying to lighten the mood. Sasuke was being her usual moody self. The two girls' rivalry had not abated in the slightest and it was really putting a strain on their group dynamic. Naruto finally started to lose his cool.

"Could you two get along for two freaking minutes? We're never going to pass if you guys are at each other's throats nonstop." He kept his voice low to keep from drawing unwanted attention.

"I don't know about Sasuke, but I'm perfectly fine. I don't have a problem with anyone. I guess it's because I actually have a personality," Sakura sniped. Naruto had to resist the urge to facepalm.

"Hn."

Naruto was relieved when the remaining Chunin hopefuls arrived at a large, fenced in training area. His relief was short lived, however. Not only was Training Area 44 nicknamed the "Forest of Death," but that emo kid from the Sand Village was staring at him again.

* * *

Sakura listened to the exam instructions intently. They were to be given either an Earth Scroll or Heaven Scroll. Their job was to collect an opposing scroll from one of the other teams within a five day time limit. After they had possession of both scrolls, the teams were to make their way to the tower in the middle of the tGrassing area. All three members of a team had to be alive and conscious or the entire team failed.

She knew this wouldn't be nearly as easy as it sounded. Even if Team Seven were able to defeat a group of older, more experienced Genin, there was only a 50/50 chance that the team would have the scroll they needed. Even worse, they'd still have to make it all the way to the tower without being attacked.

Simple math would eliminate half the teams automatically. She knew that some of the other villages might try to eliminate the competition. She doubted if more than half a dozen teams would actually pass this exam.

Naruto volunteered to hold on to their scroll, and Sakura didn't see any reason to object. He'd be the hardest to take down of the team and he also had his shadow clones to mislead opponents or create a distraction.

Team Seven moved to their designated entrance in relative quiet. Naruto tried to start up a conversation about strategy, but a harsh glare from Sasuke silenced him. The exasperated blonde just threw his hands in the air, muttering under his breath.

* * *

About an hour into the exam, Naruto called for a halt.

"Alright, that's enough. I'm not going to put up with this for five fucking days. I don't care if you two are bff's, but it isn't too much to ask for you to get along. Kami, you girls are bugging the shit out of me!" Sasuke was startled. Naruto only swore when he was truly pissed off, and a pissed Naruto was a dangerous Naruto. _Not that I'm intimidated by him,_ Sasuke thought. _I just don't want him to make a mistake._

"Fine," she said evenly, turning to her pink haired teammate. "Sakura, I'm sorry that I find you annoying and immature."

"And I'm sorry that you're a colossal bitch!" Sakura was practically foaming at the mouth. Kami, it was almost too easy.

"At least I'm not stalking a boy who doesn't even like me," Sasuke smirked. She knew that being calm and demeaning would piss Sakura off way more than a screaming match.

Sakura's glare could have frozen oceans. "Naruto and I are friends! He also took me out on a date!" She looked to Naruto for backup.

The boy in question looked very uncomfortable. "Don't drag me into this. You're both my friends."

"So you admit that you're stalking him, then?" Sasuke sneered.

Sakura flushed. "NO! He's just a friend!"

"That's something you should keep in mind, then," Sasuke said triumphantly. "You're just friends and that's all you'll ever be. So stop moping after him like a pathetic puppy. He may be oblivious, but I see what you're doing."

"And you're just-" Sasuke wouldn't find out what she was, because a powerful blast of wind blew through the clearing. She threw her hands in front of her face to protect her eyes from flying debris. After a few moments, the gust of wind stopped just as suddenly as it had appeared. Peeking over her arms, Sasuke saw a deep trench cut into the ground, going as far as she could see in either direction… And Naruto was gone.

"Naruto!" Sasuke cried out, looking for the blonde Genin.

"I doubt he survived," a cold, slithering voice said from behind her. She and Sakura both whirled to see a strange Grass ninja. She looked way too old to be a Genin, and just the sight of her gave Sasuke the chills.

"I must say, I'm disappointed Sasuke. Dropping your guard in hostile territory to argue over a boy? That's just…. sad." Sasuke's eyes widened. She had been so caught up in taunting Sakura that she had completely forgotten about the exam. It was a potentially deadly mistake.

* * *

Naruto lay battered at the base of one of the forests giant trees. He couldn't believe he'd been so careless. He hadn't even set a few clones as guards before stopping. Now he had no idea where he was, where his team was, and had no clue what had hit him.

"Well, I get the feeling that this is going to be a bad day," he said to himself, stumbling to his feet. As he lifted his head, Naruto's jaw dropped as he saw what had to be the world's largest snake. "Definitely a bad day!"

The snake was a dull greenish-brown with golden eyes. It was at least forty feet long and was eyeing Naruto like he was a particularly juicy mouse. In the flash of an eye, the monstrous serpent struck at him. The blonde barely had time to dodge, and the shockwave from the snake's strike threw him back. It followed up by trying to snare him with its tail, but Naruto managed to leap over the serpent's tail.

"If that's how you want to play, fine!" Naruto shouted, biting his right thumb and slamming his hand to the ground. "**Summoning Jutsu!** Time to pick on someone your own size!"

An enormous cloud of smoke covered the area, slowly parting to reveal a red and black toad the size of a large house. The toad was armed with an odachi, the steel catching a spot of sunlight that had filtered through the trees. The snake seemed enraged to see the toad, but also halted its attacks.

"Gamahiro! Thanks for showing up!"

"It is my honor to fight the servant of Manda," the toad said primly. Naruto was nonplussed.

"Who's Manda?"

Gamahiro sighed, his great chest heaving. "He is the Boss of the Snake Summons. This particular serpent is called Slyther. We've traded blows before."

Naruto's eyes widened. "This is a Snake Summon? That means my friends are in danger! I'm sorry to split, but I've gotta go help them!" Naruto dashed through the trees, leaving the mighty Gamahiro to battle Slyther. He had to help Sakura and Sasuke! He didn't catch Gamahiro's parting words:

"They're in more trouble than you know, young Summoner."

* * *

Sakura was paralyzed in fear. She didn't know how the Grass ninja's bloodlust had overwhelmed the two kunoichi of Team Seven. The killing intent emanating from this woman was more intense than anything she'd ever felt. It put Gaara's and even Zabuza's to shame.

Sasuke was equally paralyzed, her eyes wide. Sakura didn't think she'd ever seen Sasuke so afraid, which only confirmed her own fears. They were in serious trouble, and Naruto could already be dead. Without him, Sakura doubted her and Sasuke's chances of survival against a superior foe. While each member of Team Seven had their strengths and weaknesses, Naruto was the glue that held it together. Without him, no one would take charge and make Sasuke work with the team.

"Sasuke, what do we do?" She loathed letting Sasuke take the lead. However, if the ebony haired _princess_ thought she was in control then she was less likely to fly off like a loose cannon.

However, said princess wasn't even responding. She was just staring at the Grass ninja. The older woman seemed to revel in their fear. Sakura knew she was about to die. She couldn't even move! What would Naruto say if he knew that she'd gone down without a fight? The thought of Naruto's reaction freed her from her paralysis just in time to dodge a pair of kunai. Grabbing Sasuke around the waist, she leapt into the trees. Sasuke broke her own paralysis as soon as they were out of sight of that… monster. Sakura had serious doubts that the Grass kunoichi had even been human.

"Thanks," Sasuke said, though it seemed to take every ounce of willpower to convey her gratitude.

"Don't mention it," Sakura replied. "I may hate you, but we're still teammates. That bitch was seriously freaky."

"Yeah."

The pair was stopped dead in their tracks by a giant snake and Sakura knew that this was no coincidence. The Grass bitch wasn't through with them yet, and she had a feeling that things were about to get a whole lot worse. The same question kept running through her mind:

Where the hell was Naruto?

* * *

Naruto crashed through the trees at top speed, heading back towards the clearing where Sasuke and Sakura had been arguing. A feeling of dread had set over him. The colossal Snake had been a summon, which could only mean one thing: Someone had intentionally forced him away from his team mates, then tried to finish the job by sending a snake summon after him.

The only real question was: who's the target? Was the mysterious summoner after Naruto and wanted to isolate him from his team? Naruto didn't think so. He was almost positive that someone was after Sasuke. Sakura wasn't really powerful or well known or enough to warrant so much trouble. Sasuke, on the other hand, was the last Uchiha. There were a lot of people who'd like to get their hands on the Sharingan and Sasuke was their only hope to do so.

Naruto pushed himself to go faster. Whoever the summoner was, they were powerful. To just blow him away with a wind jutsu AND summon a Snake that size? They had to have a massive amount of chakra.

As he reached the clearing where he had last seen his team mates, Naruto heard an earsplitting crash to his right. _I hope this is the right direction_, he thought as he sprinted towards the noise.

* * *

Sasuke dodge another earth shattering strike from the snake. She knew she couldn't keep this up for long. Sakura was already on her last legs, having used a majority of her meager chakra to place the snake under her depth perception Genjutsu. The Genjutsu had saved both of their lives. Sasuke had tried several fireballs, but none of them had any effect on the gargantuan serpent.

The last Uchiha knew that her death was imminent. The snake was too fast, and Sasuke was tiring quickly. She was more of a technical fighter and lacked the knockout punch that would kill the snake. That was Naruto's job. Sakura was mainly there to support her team mates with Genjutsu and medical Ninjutsu. Together they were a well-balanced and formidable team. Separate, they each had glaring flaws.

Without Sakura and Sasuke, Naruto could easily be defeated by a Genjutsu user. Sakura, on the other hand, needed to get her own Genjutsu off or she was toast. Sasuke could be overwhelmed by aggressive opponents, just like what was happening now.

Sasuke flipped over the serpent's head as it struck yet again, demolishing the tree limb that she had been standing on just a moment before.

"**Summoning Jutsu!**" An enormous blue toad appeared from a cloud of smoke and tackled the snake. Both creatures fell towards the ground, each fighting for dominance. They landed with an earth shaking crash and both creatures disappeared in a cloud of smoke that obscured the forest floor.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried out, her voice a mixture of joy and surprise. Sasuke turned to see the blonde boy, his right hand still planted firmly on the ground. His clothes were looking pretty ragged, but Sasuke couldn't see any injuries.

Sasuke smirked. Things were finally looking up for Team Seven.

* * *

**A/N: NEXT TIME: Team Seven vs Orochimaru! The Prelims! So much action you won't be able to stand it! Also, a turning point in Naruto's relationship with one of his team mates! I know this chapter was a little shorter than usual, but I really wanted to get this updated. You guys have been waiting long enough.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I bet you weren't expecting an update this quickly! Well here it is… Team Seven vs Orochimaru! I'd like to give a shout out to my new Beta, Yoshima-sama, who helped make this legible lol.**

* * *

Orochimaru was unhappy. Both Slyther and Cobrac had been defeated by those infernal toads. He smirked behind his flesh mask, calming himself. It was no matter. He had originally been worried that Jiraiya knew of his return to the Leaf Village, but it seemed that he had simply allowed a boy to sign the Toad Contract.

The Snake Summoner was certain that the blonde boy was running low on chakra. Orochimaru was surprised that the boy was still conscious after summoning two of the Greater Toads. He had impressive chakra reserves, for a Genin, but the Snake Sanin was certain the boy had hit his limit.

Orochimaru chuckled as he stepped from behind a tree. He was going to enjoy this far too much. He'd kill the boy and the annoying girl slowly and in the most painful way he could imagine. He watched the three Genin get into a basic arrowhead formation, not bothering to stifle a chuckle. The blonde moved to the front, with the kunoichi flanking him. He whispered a few orders to his team mates, and Orochimaru couldn't help but laugh.

"You fools! Do you honestly think that any strategy you weaklings come up with will be able to hurt me?" Orochimaru ripped off his flesh mask. "I am Orochimaru of the Sanin! You stand no chance!"

The boy seemed unaffected, while his teammates paled. "I don't care who you are! We're going to take you down! **Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" The blonde shouted, making the Ram hand seal. A hundred clones appeared all around the Snake Sanin. Orochimaru just laughed as he started slaughtering the clones two and three at a time.

* * *

Naruto grinned as he watched Orochimaru take the bait. Four of his clones leapt to his side, and Naruto planted explosive tags on their backs. He gave a nod to Sasuke and she tensed, her legs coiling.

With a shout, his four suicide bombers charged Orochimaru, who was just finishing off the last of his clones. The suicide bombers died quickly, but as each one perished, the explosive tags on their backs stayed behind, hidden by the cloud of smoke that accompanied the defeat of their carrier.

"ACTIVATE!" Naruto yelled, and Sasuke leapt high into the air. As explosions decimated the tree branch that the Sanin had been standing, Naruto spied Orochimaru escaping the blast at high speed. Smirking as he heard Sasuke launch a series of fireballs at the airborne Orochimaru, Naruto pulled out his secret weapon. This was going to be good.

He nodded to Sakura, and she leapt from the branch and disappeared from view. Orochimaru twisted and contorted his body to evade Sasuke's fireballs, but they were just a distraction. As he landed, the Snake Sanin had to launch immediately to dodge Sakura's hail of shuriken and kunai. Naruto finally leapt from his perch and drew his arm back.

* * *

Orochimaru was getting very angry. These brats had managed to keep him on the run. He wasn't worried about one of them actually hitting him, just annoyed that they had forced him onto the defensive. He was Orochimaru! No Genin, regardless of talent, should be able to put him on his heels.

As he dodged another hail of fireballs from Sasuke, Orochimaru contorted his body into impossible positions. Most other ninja would be long dead by now. The brats obviously worked well together, but it would only get them so far. He almost missed the sight of the blonde boy hurtling towards him, and smirked as he saw the boy prepare to punch him. What did the boy think he could accomplish?

"**Sealing Jutsu! Weight of the Earth!"** Orochimaru's eyes widened as the brat slapped the Sanin's chest, placing a sealing tag. Before the Snake Sanin could remove the tag, it was already dissolving into his skin. Orochimaru immediately felt gravity double its hold on him.

"You brat!" He yelled as he kicked the boy away from him. The blonde arced through the air before crashing against a tree branch accompanied by the sound of breaking bones. The Genin was unable to catch himself before he started tumbling towards the distant ground, hitting a few branches on the way.

"Naruto!" The pink haired girl yelled, throwing a kunai knife. It struck true, hitting the hood of the boy's jacket and pinning it against the trunk of a tree.

Orochimaru laughed. _This_ was the container of the Nine Tailed Fox? The son of Minato and Kushina? Now that he looked, Orochimaru could see the resemblance. The Sanin was surprised he hadn't seen it before. The boy was a mirror image of his father, except for the whisker marks on his cheeks.

The Sanin was pulled from his musings by Sasuke, who landed in front of him. She trembled in fury or fear, her eyes flashing.

"You're going to pay for that," the girl vowed and dashed towards Orochimaru.

* * *

Sakura looked on in amazement. Sasuke and Orochimaru were moving so fast that she could barely keep up with them. _This is Orochimaru at half speed_, she realized. Naruto's seal had doubled gravity's effect on the Sanin.

Turning her attention away from the battle, Sakura knelt by Naruto and started to heal him with her basic medical Ninjutsu. His left arm was broken, and there was nothing she could do about that, but she was able to close his open wounds.

She turned back to see Sasuke land a spinning kick to the Sanin's face, though the blow seemed to have little effect. Orochimaru simply grabbed the offending limb and tossed her casually aside. Sasuke twisted, landing on her feet and charging the Sanin again.

A groan brought Sakura's attention back to Naruto. He was slowly waking up, giving Sakura hope. Knowing there was nothing more she could do for Naruto, Sakura leapt nimbly from the branch she was on to engage Orochimaru. Perhaps she and Sasuke together could get the Sanin off guard….

Sasuke was surprised when Sakura slashed at Orochimaru's blind side with a kunai, drawing a red line across the Sanin's chest. Sasuke smirked at Orochimaru's look of shock and pain.

The two kunoichi started attacking the Sanin as one, their attacks flowing into each other's with practiced ease. Sasuke would leap, launching a kick at Orochimaru's head, while Sakura would slide beneath her and slash at his calves. The Sanin was slowing, and had received a few more blows from the kunoichi of Team Seven.

"Enough!" Orochimaru yelled, kicking Sakura with enough force to send her flying. The girl managed to latch onto a tree branch, but she looked dazed and confused before she passed out. The snake summoner turned back to Sasuke. She couldn't believe it. Naruto was out of commission and Sakura probably had a serious concussion. She was up against the Leaf's most powerful traitor, next to her brother, and her backup had been eliminated.

She engaged the Sanin again, though she knew it was useless. He was just toying with her, but she couldn't help but hope she managed to get lucky.

* * *

Naruto awoke slowly, his head aching. That had been one hell of a kick. He tried to move, but a sharp pain shot up his left arm. Looking down, he saw that the elbow was bent at an impossible angle.

"Well, isn't this just fantastic," he said to himself. Suddenly, he remembered the fight, and looked around to see Sakura laying on a nearby branch, unmoving. Sasuke was currently fighting Orochimaru at full speed, and she was losing. Her hair had fallen out of its ponytail and was flowing around her as she attacked and dodged. There were bruises and cuts all over her exposed skin.

Before Naruto could even reach his feet, Orochimaru snagged Sasuke by the neck. The Uchiha scion kicked in desperation but was unable to break the Sanin's grip. Naruto drug himself into a standing position. He was in no condition to fight, but he only needed one arm for his trump card. Biting his finger, Naruto slammed his hand against the ground and poured chakra into the **Summoning Jutsu**.

Three toads appeared on the branch in front him. Each were the size of a large man and carried a variety of gleaming weaponry. "Go! Help her!"

The toads launched themselves at Naruto's command. However, they were too slow to prevent Orochimaru from sinking his fangs into Sasuke's shoulder. The girl shrieked in pain.

"Sasuke!" Naruto cried out. He moved to help her, but a sharp burst of pain lanced up his arm, driving him to his knees.

* * *

Orochimaru tossed Sasuke to the side. The girl had fallen unconscious almost immediately after taking the cursed mark. He heard the boy cry out, and turned to see three very angry toads charging towards him.

Smirking, Orochimaru used a single fire Jutsu to wipe them out. He looked at Minato's son, and could feel the boy's hatred for him. In a flash, he was standing in front of the boy, who glared at him rebelliously.

"If you're going to kill me, then kill me," the boy said, his blue eyes flashing.

"Why would I kill the son of the Great Fourth Hokage?" The boy's eyes widened. "That's right, this village has been lying to you. You are the son of Minato Namikaze. Tell me, boy, why have you not used the chakra of the Nine-Tails?"

The boy eyed him warily. "It's dead. I absorbed all of its chakra."

Orochimaru laughed. This was too perfect! He no longer needed to worry about the Akatsuki! With the Nine-Tails dead, they'd have to wait decades before being able to move on the tailed beasts. Who knew how long it would take the Kyuubi to reform itself? He wished he could see the look on Pain's face when he found out. Maybe he'd tell the pompous bastard himself.

"What's so funny?" The boy asked heatedly.

"Just marveling at your father's seal work. A lot of powerful people are going to be very angry at this development, and I can't wait to see how it turns out." Orochimaru couldn't believe his luck. "I've decided to let you and your friends live."

The Sanin smirked at the boy's face and the emotions warring there before knocking him unconscious with a vicious blow to the head. He was momentarily tempted to place the cursed seal on the boy, but ultimately decided against it. The boy was likely too loyal to the Leave Village to ever join his cause. Jiraiya would see to that.

Orochimaru turned to leave, but hesitated. Turning back, he knelt by Minato's son and placed a hand on the boy's broken left arm. A green aura surrounded the limb, and the bones crackled as they realigned themselves and knit together.

"Don't say your Uncle Orochimaru never gave you anything," the Sanin smirked. "I won't spare you next time, son of Minato."

* * *

It was evening before Sakura woke up. Her whole body ached as she tried to force her eyes open. She was honestly surprised that she woke up at all. She had fully expected the Sanin to kill the entire team. She still had no idea why he had attacked them in the first place. Why would a legendary ninja bother with a group of Genin?

It had to be Sasuke's fault. Sakura knew that she was relatively unimportant to the village, and Naruto was an orphan. Sasuke was the only one who would have anyone of Orochimaru's caliber after her.

Sakura slowly got to her feet and brushed her hair from her face. She looked around at the decimated landscape, her heart pounding. Was Naruto still alive? She spotted the boy lying motionless on a nearby branch. Sakura felt cold as she leapt to his side, tumbling awkwardly when she landed badly.

Trying to silence the pounding in her head, Sakura placed an ear against Naruto's chest. An overwhelming sense of jubilation took hold when she heard his heart beat. She sat there, stroking his face softly. He was alive. Everything would be okay now. He'd wake up and they'd get out of this forest. She'd help him heal and everything would go back to how it was before.

Sighing, Sakura realized that she'd have to check on Sasuke, too. Swaying slightly, the kunoichi staggered to her feet and leapt towards Sasuke's unconscious form. She landed a little bit better this time, only staggering slightly. Sasuke's chest was heaving and her face felt feverish.

"What the hell is that?" Sakura wondered aloud as she spied a strange tattoo on the Uchiha scion's shoulder. She had almost missed it beneath the girl's raven tresses. Sakura touched it and frowned. The spot was very cold to the touch, which made Sakura suspect that it wasn't a normal tattoo.

Sakura sat back on her heels. She had no idea what to do. She might as well start with the basics: shelter. She needed to get Naruto and Sasuke someplace safe. She also guessed that she had a concussion. It was difficult to stay awake, and the world kept swaying at odd moments. Standing, she tried to lift Sasuke, but the throbbing in her head forced her to drop the Uchiha scion roughly.

Not that she minded that much.

The moon was high over the forest before Sakura managed to hide her teammates in a hollowed out trunk of one of the forest's massive trees. Sighing, Sakura forced herself to stay awake as she kept watch. She wished that she had the energy, materials and time to set up a few traps. At least she had disguised the entrance to their little alcove. An hour later, she was softly snoring.

* * *

Sakura woke to the sound of voices

"Where did she hide? We saw her come this way," one voice, a male said. The voice was right outside her makeshift hiding spot.

"Shut up, Zaku. We'll find her," a female voice replied.

Sakura shook with fear. A team of Genin had followed her. She didn't know what village they belonged to, but she was fairly sure that she didn't know anyone from the Leaf Village named Zaku. Peering through a miniscule hole in her disguised entrance, Sakura saw three Genin she didn't recognize.

There were two boys and a girl, as was customary on many Genin squads. Their headbands had a musical note, signifying their allegiance to the new and mysterious Village Hidden in the Sound. The Sound Genin were standing in a clearing, facing outwards.

"She's hiding somewhere around here. Find her," the third Genin said. He was heavily bandaged and Sakura couldn't see his face.

Sakura listened to them hunt for her. She didn't know what to do. Should she wait where she was and hope that they wouldn't find her? The only problem with that was that she had no room to maneuver. If they did find her hiding place her entire team would be wiped out.

On the other hand, if she attacked, she was fairly certain she could incapacitate the one called Zaku before the other two could react. That would leave her with a two-on-one situation that she wasn't sure she could survive.

Dosu Kinuta searched the clearing for the Leaf bitch. He knew that she was somewhere nearby, and it was annoying that she had managed to hide so well.

A rustling behind him grabbed his attention, and he whirled to see Zaku holding his throat as blood poured through his fingers. The Leaf bitch was standing right beside him, covered in what could only be Zaku's blood.

Beside him, Kin started screaming and swatting the air. She covered her head and ran away, still shouting at the top of her lungs.

Dosu looked at the girl with wide eyes. The Leaf girl was obviously a Genjutsu user. It was no wonder they had so much trouble finding her. He felt his rage building as the girl smirked.

* * *

Sakura smirked triumphantly. She hadn't wanted to kill Zaku, but she had no choice. She couldn't take the chance of him getting back up. Her Genjutsu on the girl wouldn't last long, either, so she need to take down the leader before the Sound girl came back.

"You can't win," she said more bravely than she felt. Inwardly, she cringed as the boy's blood dripped down her face.

The Sound Genin merely laughed as he unwrapped a strange gauntlet on his arm. "You have no idea who you're messing with, little girl."

Sakura didn't wait for him to finish whatever it was he was doing. Instead, she dashed towards him, arcing a few shuriken in his direction. None of the throwing starts found their mark, but it served to put the boy on his heels.

Slashing frantically with her kunai, Sakura knew she had to go for the quick kill. The girl would be back any second. She was immediately grateful of Kakashi's training when she was able to dodge the boy's attacks with ease. Compared to Sasuke and Naruto, this guy was slow as hell.

There was a ring of steel on steel as her kunai met his gauntlet. For some reason, the noise made Sakura's head start pounding again. She flipped nimbly away, eyeing her opponent. There was something up with that gauntlet, and Sakura bet it had something to do with sound waves. The boy was from the Hidden Sound, after all.

Then the boy made his first mistake: Looking her in the eyes. Sakura immediately used her depth perception Genjutsu on him. It may not have solved her issue with the gauntlet, but it would be enough to force him into a mistake.

Sakura decided that fighting from a distance was her best option. She played keep away with the bandaged Sound Genin, throwing shuriken and kunai to disrupt his clumsy attacks, before scoring a hit on his shoulder.

The boy growled and removed the shuriken from his shoulder. Sakura tried to ignore the blood seeping from the wound. A few inches lower and he would have been dead.

Sakura grasped her last two kunai in a reverse grip in each hand and charged the injured boy. She easily weaved in and out of his attacks, always attacking from his injured side, though even when she dodged her headache grew steadily worse.

She scored a few more superficial hits, though each one slowed the boy down even more. Sakura knew that victory was close. All she had to do was finish it. Ducking beneath another wild swing, she saw her chance. She lashed out with her right foot and felt his knee crack and buckle beneath the force of the blow. Sakura spun on her other foot, her kunai cutting deep into his stomach. More blood splattered her face and clothes, and Sakura tried hard not to gag.

The boy fell to the ground, his visible eye wide with shock.

"You… H-How?" His voice came out wet and gurgling, and blood stained the bandages covering his mouth.

"I was protecting my friends. I couldn't afford to lose," Sakura replied grimly. She raised her kunai, prepared to deal the killing blow. She knew she'd have nightmares about this moment, but she couldn't leave anything to chance. Naruto was counting on her. She forced herself to watch the knife pierce through the boy's visible eye as she drove the kunai into his brain.

* * *

Kin Tsuchi watched Dosu's death from a nearby tree. She had been waiting for a good time to surprise the Leaf kunoichi, but she never had a chance. Her ferocity and brutality had surprised Kin. Her sensei had told her that the Leaf shinobi would be easy targets as they lacked the will to do what was necessary.

She had a feeling that her sensei hadn't met this group of Leaf Genin. If that's what their weakest was capable of, who knew what would happen if the other two showed up? Kin wisely decided that discretion was the better part of valor and slipped away unnoticed. She wasn't going to die to some bubble-gum haired bitch.

* * *

Sakura heard a faint rustling behind her and turned to see Sasuke standing at the entrance of the alcove. Her strange tattoo had spread, covering her shoulder and part of her face. Sakura took a single step back. There was something odd in Sasuke's expression.

Her teammate was staring at her with a strange gleam in her red Sharingan eyes. Sasuke smirked, and that's all the warning that Sakura had before Sasuke charged at her in a flurry of punches and kicks.

Sakura dodged as best as she could, taking a few solid blows. Sasuke was much faster and stronger, and Sakura knew that she couldn't keep up this level of performance for long. Her head was still throbbing from the Sound boy's gauntlet, too.

A devastating kick sent her sprawling. Struggling to her knees, Sakura looked up to see Sasuke standing over her.

"Why?" Sakura asked, her eyes filling with tears. "We're teammates! We're on the same side!"

Sasuke smirked again, and the strange tattoo snaked its way further up her face. "On the same side? You keep trying to steal my boyfriend. Not that you could, but it gets really annoying."

Sasuke slid a kunai from her holster. _I'm sorry Naruto_, Sakura thought, blinking away tears.

She almost missed the blonde and blue blur knocking Sasuke away.

* * *

Naruto was panting heavily. He had no clue what the hell was going on, but corpses and blood littered the small clearing. His whole body ached, especially his left arm, but at least everything was fully functional.

He had exited a small alcove to see Sasuke standing over Sakura, kunai in hand. That alone spurred him into action, pain forgotten. He had tackled Sasuke away and was currently trying to restrain her, but she had somehow grown a lot stronger and was able to fight back.

They grappled on the ground for a few seconds before Sasuke kneed him in his groin and planted both feet into his chest, knocking him away.

"You don't want any of this, Naruto," she said calmly, her face void of emotion.

"I'm not going to let you hurt Sakura!" He bellowed. "What the hell is going on?"

"We're… sorting out our differences," Sasuke smirked. "Just like you wanted."

Naruto shook his head. Maybe he was dreaming? "What?"

"I'm teaching Sakura what happens you try to take what's mine."

Naruto was thoroughly confused, but he didn't really care. What mattered is that Sasuke wasn't acting like herself and Sakura was hurt. He needed to restrain the Uchiha scion until he could get to the bottom of whatever the hell was happening.

"Whatever. If you want to hurt her, you'll have to get through me," he said, drawing a silver kunai from his holster.

"So you choose her, then?" Sasuke snarled, eyes flashing.

"What? I'm not choosing anyone! Just stop and we can talk about this. You need help! You're not yourself!" Naruto was getting desperate. He had sparred Sasuke before, but he knew that this would be different. Sasuke was playing for keeps.

"SHUT UP!" Sasuke shouted, charging him. Naruto was pushed to his limit blocking her lightning-fast kunai strikes. Sparks flew whenever their blades met, stinging his face. He allowed himself to be pushed back under her furious assault, putting more distance between them and Sakura.

He leaned back to let Sasuke's kunai swing harmlessly past his face, then finished the motion by flipping backwards, his foot catching her in the jaw. He took the momentary reprieve to create four shadow clones. They popped into existence in a puff of smoke, surrounding Sasuke.

"Don't make me do this," Naruto said softly. "I don't want to hurt you."

"You already have!" Sasuke yelled before she flew into motion, giving two clones a quick death. Naruto and his two remaining doppelgangers attacked in unison, their strikes flowing seamlessly into one another. Normally, his Taijutsu skills were enough to quickly subdue the quicker Uchiha, but she was fighting more aggressively than he had ever seen her before.

The other two clones quickly fell, but not before slashing Sasuke's arm. The cut wasn't deep, and she still had full use of the limb. Naruto knew that if he had wanted to kill Sasuke that the blow could have easily slit her throat, but his clone had pulled back at the last minute. His heart just wasn't in this fight, and that's why he knew he was going to lose.

Sasuke slashed his face, cutting deep, making a jagged cut from forehead to cheek. Naruto howled in pain, his vision blurred. If the cut had been any deeper, it would have destroyed his left eye. He forced his eyelid closed to keep blood from dripping into it, though the pain nearly made him faint. He needed to end this.

Enraged, Naruto tackled Sasuke to the ground and they started grappling for dominance. After a few moments of rolling on the ground, Naruto managed to force Sasuke's arms out and away from her body, pinning her beneath his bulk. Sasuke glared up at him, her eyes filled with emotion.

Before he knew what was happening, he felt her press her lips against his roughly. This kiss was unlike anything she'd ever given before, all passion and lust. Naruto stumbled to his feet, releasing her.

"What the-" She tackled him to the ground and started kissing him again, her body molding itself against his. All thoughts of resisting fled as she moaned into his mouth and buried her hands in his hair.

_I really am the only sane person in this entire fucking village._

* * *

**A/N: And that's Chapter 11! Thinking about it, I could have just put this chapter and the last chapter together and it would have been a perfect length lol. DAMN YOU HINDSIGHT! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. Thanks to my Beta, Yoshima-sama, for looking this over. Reviews are always appreciated!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I apologize for the delay in getting this chapter out there. I know that a lot of you have been waiting patiently for an update, and some of you not so patiently lol. I won't go into details, but I had some personal issues that I had to work through. I hope that you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

Team Seven stood before the monolithic tower in the center of the Forest of Death. Naruto couldn't believe that they had actually made it. Though it had only been a few days, it felt more like a year since they had first entered the Second Chuunin Exam. Naruto knew that the the test had changed them, and not necessarily for the better.

He had been dealt a harsh lesson in his own weakness by Orochimaru. The Snake Sannin had barely broken a sweat while easily disposing of the young Genin team. Before fighting the missing-nin, Naruto had been more than confident in his team's ability to take on any foe. After all, of their graduating class, Team Seven was the only team that had completed an A-Rank class mission. They had gone up against a notorious Jonin, and had not only survived, but prevailed. Despite their successes, however, each member of Team Seven showed scars from their ordeal in the forest. Naruto's was the most obvious, a large slash across half his face that had almost lost him an eye. However, he knew that his teammates' scars were deeper and more painful.

Sasuke hadn't spoken to him after their impromptu makeout session. Despite the passion behind her kiss, the onyx-eyed kunoichi hadn't even spared him a look since. It had been difficult to disentangle himself from her, in more ways than one. Her warm, toned arms had clinged to him in tantalizing ways, and Naruto was beginning to understand Jiraiya's obsession with the female form. A part of him (a rather _insistent _part) hadn't wanted to end the kiss. However, he knew that she hadn't been herself, and Naruto had refused to take advantage of the situation. He had been relieved to see the dark tattoos across her face and body recede to the strange mark on the back of her neck, but Sasuke seemed more distant and upset with him than ever. She had forcibly thrown him off of her and stalked away, mumbling an apology to Sakura as she passed.

The pink-haired kunoichi had also been quiet since the meadow. While this wasn't abnormal, per se, the fact that she wasn't shooting Sasuke death glares made Naruto worry about Sakura almost as much as Sasuke. He knew that she'd had to kill two people while he and Sasuke had been unconscious, and he knew that it must be weighing heavily on her. However, what he didn't know was what to say to comfort her. He just didn't have the words. He didn't think 'Sorry you had to murder a person' was going to cut it,' and had found himself wishing for Kakashi-sensei's eloquence.

"Come on," Naruto said, "let's get this shit over with." Neither kunoichi answered, though he hadn't expected them to. He led his team through a pair of large, wooden doors and into the tower, barely noticing the markings chiseled into the stone arch that framed the entrance. He had expected a dark, empty room on the other side, but was pleasantly surprised by a roaring fireplace in the corner. Decorated in warm reds and oranges, the room felt almost cozy. There was a door on the opposite side of the room, much smaller than the imposing entrance doors behind him.

"I wonder where the welcoming committee is," the blonde wondered aloud as he turned towards his teammates. "Any idea what we do now?"

"Hn," Sasuke shrugged non-committedly.

Naruto's eyes flashed. "Well that's helpful," he snapped. He was tired of getting the silent treatment.

The small door on the far side of the room creaked open, revealing a familiar face. "Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, relieved. The masked Jonin stood before them, a wide smile crinkling his single visible eye.

* * *

"And that's when…" Naruto trailed off, his face flushing as he shot a guilty look at his dark haired teammate.

"Yes?" Kakashi prompted, his tone grave. He had been sitting in the common area of the tower with Asuma and Kurenai when a messenger had informed him that his team had arrived. He had taken a moment to bask in his colleague's surprised faces before sauntering toward the entrance hall. If he were being honest, he hadn't expected his team to finish the exam so quickly, if at all. Only a few teams had finished ahead of his rookie squad, and Kakashi had been exceedingly proud of them.

Naruto had sprung into a tale that was almost unbelievable. Kakashi had kept his face and body language composed, but a tight knot of fear had gripped him as Naruto had told him about a bloody battle against a man who had called himself Orochimaru. The blonde had looked terribly guilty when he admitted that they had been defeated soundly. Kakashi had pointed out that if the shinobi they had fought had indeed been the Legendary Snake Sannin, then the fact that three Genin had lasted longer than a few seconds against him was quite a feat.

"Well, that's when she, uh…" The blonde blushed even further, rubbing the back of his head.

"When she decided she wanted to shove her tongue down Naruto's throat." Sakura replied helpfully, making a face. "It was disgusting. I don't know if he'll ever get the taste out of his mouth." She seemed oblivious to the death glare from Sasuke.

Kakashi fought the urge to face-palm. It seemed that some things never changed. Genin developing feelings for teammates was not uncommon. While such relationships were generally frowned upon, they were not outright banned. However, most genin teams consisted of two males and one female. While many times both males vied for the kunoichi's attentions, the boys in question usually held to an unwritten code of conduct. Women, it seemed, had no such code when competing for a boy. What was the saying? All's fair in love and war? This seemed to be a little of both. Deciding that it would be far too much trouble to interfere, Kakashi decided to ignore the verbal jab.

"Sasuke, come with me. I need to examine that mark. Naruto and Sakura, get some rest. Good work, all three of you."

* * *

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Naruto asked as Sasuke and Kakashi disappeared from view.

Sakura just shrugged. "The bitch tried to kill me. That mark could set her on fire and I wouldn't care."

"You know she wasn't herself. The mark-"

"I. Don't. Care," Sakura said, poking the blonde's chest with each word. "She's always been a bitch. Now she's a psychotic one. I can't even begin to understand why you like her."

"I don't think that's fair," Naruto replied stonily. "The two of you had great teamwork against Orochimaru…"

Sakura laughed mirthlessly, her green eyes hardening. "No, I just put up with her on missions because I'm a kunoichi and we're on the same team. I can work with her and despise her at the same time. She's the most selfish, mean-spirited person I've ever met, and I think the mark just… lowered her inhibitions. It didn't change her personality."

"I'm not excusing what she did, but-"

"What a surprise! You're taking her side, even though she tried to carve out your eye yesterday! That cut will never fully heal. You know that, right? You'll have that scar until the day you die." Sakura started to walk away, but only made it a few steps before looking back over her shoulder. "And that day won't be too far off if you keep hanging around her."

Naruto just stood there, speechless. How deep did the animosity between his teammates go? He had thought they were rivals, not hated enemies. He knew for a fact that none of the other genin teams were so broken.

Shikamaru, his friend on Team 10, may complain about Ino and Choji, but he still spoke of them with fondness. And Team 8, well Naruto didn't really know much about anyone on the team, besides Kiba.

Lost in thought, Naruto followed Sakura through the door leading to the tower's main area. How could he have let things get so bad on his team? He was fairly certain that he was the root of the issue between the two kunoichi, but he had no idea of how to go about fixing it.

He knew that Sakura liked him. She hadn't tried to hide her feelings in the slightest. He just couldn't bring himself to return her feelings. She was a good friend, but that's as far as his emotions toward his teammate went. He'd fight for her, die for her even, but he couldn't give her his heart. It already belonged to one Sasuke Uchiha.

However, Sasuke was more difficult to read than an advanced sealing array. She hadn't been anything approaching warm to him since their 'breakup' on the way back from Wave Country. However, if Sakura was right, she still harbored romantic feelings his way. Or was at the very least physically attracted to him. That kiss in the forest had brought all of his feelings for the Uchiha scion front and center.

What bothered him the most, though, was that he _should_ favor Sakura. She was pretty, intelligent, and kind. She seemed to like him for the knucklehead he was and honestly enjoyed his company.

However, dark irises and ebony hair haunted him whenever he closed his eyes.

* * *

Naruto stood in a moonlit meadow, staring at the stars. A slight breeze ruffled his hair, and he found himself lost in the beauty of the night sky.

"Naruto." Sasuke's voice was soft behind him, and a pair of warm, alabaster arms wound around his waist. He could feel her breath on his neck, her dark hair tickling his shoulder. Her scent, like lilacs, invaded his nostrils. He had never felt so at home. A pair of soft lips softly pressed themselves against his neck.

Smiling, Naruto turned, only to see an empty meadow. Confused, he looked around the small clearing. She had just been here, kissing the tender skin on his neck. Where had she gone?

"Naruto." Her voice echoed behind him, causing him to whirl. She stood a few feet away, staring at the ground. Her shoulders shook, and her breathing was ragged. She was crying. Naruto took a step towards her, intending on holding her, but she disappeared just as he reached her.

"Naruto!" How on earth did she keep getting behind him? He turned again, only to see Sasuke's face contorted into fury, her Sharingan flashing as her kunai slashed violently across his face. Naruto fell to the ground, arms rising to block an attack that never came. Cautiously, he peered between his outstretched fingers. She was gone again.

"Naruto…" Her voice was soft again. He whirled, ready to block, but he needn't have bothered. She was slinking towards him, a predatory smile on her face. He backed away, tripping over himself and landing flat on his back. Sasuke straddled him, that same hungry look in her eyes as she kissed him, hard. There was no softness in this kiss, no affection, only pure lust. He moaned as she attacked his lips hungrily, but just as he wound his fingers through her hair, she was gone.

"Naruto." She was a few feet away, her back to him. The wind had picked up and was flowing through her ebony locks. Her shoulders were shaking again, and he could hear her cry. Scrambling to his feet, Naruto slowly approached her and placed an awkward hand on her shoulder. She stopped crying and slowly turned to face him. Silent tears escaped her blood red eyes as he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

All strength left him as he fell to his knees. Looking down, he saw a silver kunai with an orange tassel buried to the hilt between his ribs.

* * *

Naruto woke with a start. Cold sweat dampened his blonde hair. He'd had the same nightmare the past two nights in a row. It had ended the same way, with a kunai through his heart. He had no idea what it meant, and as the aftereffects of the dream waned, he decided he didn't want to know. The blonde had never been one for overt self-examination.

Sighing, the genin lay back on his pillow. Today was a big day. The Second Exam would officially end at noon, and he had little doubt that the Final Exam would begin as soon as the prior one ended. So far, only four other teams had reached the tower. He had been been relieved to see Shikamaru, Ino, and Choji stumble into the tower's main foyer during dinner the previous night. Team Ten had looked a little worse for wear, Choji especially, but they had seemed relatively unharmed. Team Guy had beaten Team Seven to the tower by a full day, and Naruto had been avoiding Rock Lee like the plague. The eccentric genin had accosted him about Sasuke's whereabouts the moment the two boys had seen each other, and Naruto had honestly not known. He hadn't seen her or Kakashi since he had taken her to examine the mark on her shoulder.

Lee, however, didn't seem to find that explanation satisfactory. He had taken to following the blonde night and day, certain that Naruto was hiding Sasuke beneath his bed or something. Naruto hadn't the heart nor inclination to make a scene. Sakura seemed unconcerned with Sasuke's absence, which only underscored to Naruto that the team's dynamics were at an all-time low.

Deciding that stewing in his thoughts was a bad idea, Naruto donned his shinobi attire and decided to find breakfast. He was unsurprised to find that he was only person in the dining area as he made his way to the large table of food lining one side of the cavernous hall. Helping himself to a generous helping of eggs, bacon and hashbrowns, Naruto picked a table at random and began stuffing his face.

"If that's what you eat like all the time, I have no idea what Sakura sees in you," a feminine voice said. Naruto glanced up to see a pair of sapphire eyes framed by pale blonde hair.

"Good morning, Ino," Naruto said, turning his attention back to his food.

"Good morning," she chirped, stealing a slice of toast from his plate and ignoring his look of annoyance. She sat across from him, making Naruto extremely nervous under her cerulean gaze.

"Can… I help you with something?"

"Nope," she replied, giving him a wink. "I just wanted to see your new scar for myself. Sakura's right."

"About what?" Naruto asked, curious against his better judgement.

Ino cocked her head to the side, as if trying to decide something. "It _is_ very sexy." His look of shock made her laugh as she stood and sauntered away. Naruto tried very hard not to watch her butt.

"I wouldn't consider it if I were you," Shikamaru said, taking Ino's now vacated seat. "That girl is troublesome."

"I wasn't…"

"Sure you weren't. Better men than you have fallen for Ino Yamanaka, Naruto. Trust me, she's High Maintenance with a capital H," the pineapple haired genin replied, securing a strip of bacon from Naruto's plate.

"What is it with you people and stealing my food?!" Naruto almost shouted. "It's not as if there isn't enough to go around."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Shikamaru said evenly. "Choji hasn't hit the buffet yet." Naruto grinned, joining his friend in watching the Akimichi boy pile his plate high with a little bit of everything.

"Anybody else make it in last night?" Naruto asked.

Shikamaru shook his head. "Ino already checked. It's the first thing she did this morning. She's really worried about Kiba and his team."

"That makes one of us," Naruto replied darkly. "So far, we have the Sand team, Team Guy, Team Seven, Team Ten, and Kabuto's team."

"Who?"

"A medic genin. Apparently he's failed several times. He's nice enough, I guess, but his teammates kind of freak me out. They're a lot older than most of the genin here."

"Hmmm… Which means they either have an advantage due to experience, or a disadvantage due to lack of ability," Shikamaru said, entering what Naruto dubbed his 'strategy mode.' "There are too many variables to say for certain, but usually genin older than Gai's team and the Sand Team are usually lacking the skill or temperament to be truly good shinobi. However, that doesn't mean that they won't be dangerous. They've likely seen a lot more battles than we have, faced stronger opponents."

"i guess. I'm not too worried about it, honestly. Kabuto wouldn't hurt a fly," Naruto shrugged.

Shikamaru glared at him. "I wouldn't be so certain. Making it to the tower almost guarantees that he's seen his share of violence. His second scroll had to come from somewhere."

Naruto didn't even hear his friend, however, as a familiar head of ebony hair had entered the dining hall.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha felt… restless. Kakashi had called upon Jiraiya to help seal the curse mark on her shoulder, but even the legendary Toad Sage had been unfamiliar with the seal. The Sannin had, however, been able to lock away the mark's influence on her behavior. It wouldn't activate on its own, and would only be an issue if she called upon its power, something Kakashi had forbidden her to do. The sealing had been arduous, however, and had left her unconscious for the better part of a day.

She was pulled from her thoughts by a pair of strong arms wrapping around her shoulders, lifting her into the air.

"Sasuke! Where have you been? We've been worried about you!"

"You're causing a scene, Naruto," she replied. As much as she appreciated his concern, this was neither the time nor place.

"I don't care. I've been worried sick!"

"I do. Put me down. Now." He reluctantly did as she requested, placing her softly back on her feet and taking a step back. She immediately missed his warmth. She regarded him, careful not to let any emotion show. A long, ugly scar marred his handsome face, starting in the middle of his forehead and arcing viciously down over his eye before carving its way along his cheekbone. She couldn't stand to look at it. It was all her fault. He'd have a reminder of her jealousy for the rest of his life because she couldn't control herself.

In the meadow, when she had attacked Sakura, Sasuke had been aware of what she was doing. It had felt good to put the bubblegum bitch in her place. Everything had felt more real, somehow. Like everything was how it was meant to be. No self doubt, no facade of indifference, just pure, unbridled emotion. She had felt, at the time, justified in trying to kill her teammate. The bitch had been encroaching on her territory for months, despite repeated warnings, and had to pay the price. Then, Naruto had shown up, and everything had gotten lost in a haze of lust and anger. She had wanted to kill him and screw his brains out all at the same time. She had basked in the feeling of power that she had over him. It had been only right to cut him; after all, he had cut her first. Then, he'd been on top of her, dominating her, and she had wanted nothing more than to tear his clothes off and rut right there. The fact that Sakura was watching had made it all the more sweet. The haze had only lifted after Naruto had forced her off of him and stumbled to his feet, breathing heavily.

Now, looking at the wicked scar on his face, she couldn't help but be ashamed. He should want nothing to do with her. She had anticipated it, welcomed it even. Instead, he was concerned about her. His blue eyes were gazing into hers, filled with worry, a slight frown forming on his scarred face.

It was too much. She could feel the tears coming, and she refused to cry in front of her peers. As calmly as she could, she turned and left the dining hall. Her mask of composure started cracking as she climbed the stairs to her room, and broke completely as she closed her bedroom door behind her. She felt her knees give out as she tumbled onto a small bed in the corner.

Sasuke Uchiha, last of her clan, buried her face in her arms and wept.

* * *

**A/N: It was very difficult to write this chapter… As some of you may have noticed. I've had some personal issues lately, and writing a romantic fanfiction was… difficult. I know the chapter is short. I know you've been waiting forever for an update. Which is why I uploaded a short chapter, just to get something, anything out there. I know there wasn't any action in this chapter, only charcterization, and I apologize for that. If it helps, the next chapter will be nothing BUT action. I thank you for your patience, and I promise to update this much more regularly. I anticipate another chapter within a week, if not sooner. It's going to be longer, and have the entirety of the prelim matches.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It's reviews that keep me writing… so keep them coming. So, here's Part 1 of the Prelims. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"However, as there are too many of you, we will be holding Preliminary matches before the Final Exam. This is to ensure that the visiting dignitaries and judges see only the best genin, the best matches, that we have to offer."

Naruto listened to the Hokage intently. The old man was standing before all 18 prospective chunin in the dining area of the tower. Team 8 had arrived just before the deadline, definitely looking worse for wear, Hinata in particular. Kiba had immediately started boasting about his awesomeness the moment that they had arrived, and Naruto sincerely hoped that he was the one who got to shut Kiba's big mouth.

He glanced towards his teammates, if one could call them a team. They were more like three separate entities that worked together from time to time. It had been slightly painful to watch the other teams laugh and joke amongst one another while Team 7 had each drifted apart. He knew that he was supposed to be the glue that held them together, but he was just… tired. He was tired of the constant bickering, the death glares, the thinly veiled threats and the violent clashes between the two kunoichi. Was it too much to ask for a normal team like Shikamaru's?

Speaking of Shikamaru, Naruto couldn't help but reflect on his friend's cautionary words about Kabuto. After reflection, the blonde genin had to agree with the Naga heir's analysis. There was something not quite right with the bespectacled medic.

"So, at this time I ask any of you who do not feel up to participating in the Final Exam to step forward," the Hokage continued. Naruto couldn't help but smirk. As if anyone would back out now, especially after they'd come so far.

However, he was surprised to see a single hand raise in front of him. The hand belonged to the makeup wearing cat guy that had tormented Konohamaru before the exam "I… I don't think I can continue," he said, a smirk on his face. Naruto was stunned. There had to be something at work here. Why would he just give up?

"Me neither," another voice chimed in from behind him. Naruto turned to see Kabuto raising his hand. On the surface, the silver-haired genin seemed calm, remorseful, but Naruto thought he could see the corners of Kabuto's mouth twitching, as if he were fighting a smirk. The blonde shook off the feeling. He was probably reading too much into it.

The Hokage nodded. "Very well. If the sixteen remaining contestants would follow me, we will begin the preliminary matches straight away."

"What?!" Kiba's boisterous voice echoed throughout the hall. "But we just got here! How are we supposed to fight against people who've had a chance to rest?!"

The Third Hokage didn't even grace him with a response, though he did cast a questioning glance at the boy's sensei. Kurenai seemed appropriately ashamed of her loud mouthed student's outburst.

* * *

Sakura and the other genin followed the Hokage and jonin through the winding corridors of the tower. They had already traveled down two sets of stairs, and Sakura knew that they were well below ground level. Eventually, they emerged into a large room, larger than many of the smaller training areas surrounding the Leaf Village. A statue stood at one end, stretching from the floor all the way up to the vaulted ceiling. A balcony extended around the room even to the statue's broad shoulders, and several stair cases led up to this upper level. A single jonin stood in the middle of the room, his arms crossed over his chest. If Sakura hadn't known better, she'd have thought the shinobi to be gravely ill.

"Greetings. My name is Hayate Gekko, and I will be your proctor for the Third Exam. This exam will consist of one-on-one no holds barred matches. As you may already be aware, the matches we are about to get underway are merely preliminary fights. Losing here means that you will be unable to be advanced to the rank of Chunin." Hayate paused with a slight cough. "The matches have been chosen at random. You are allowed to use any and all jutsu at your disposal to win. Killing your opponent is allowed, but be aware that if I feel a match is over, I will stop the fight and declare the winner. This is to reduce any needless loss of life. Do you understand?" The genin nodded solemnly. "Very well. The first match will be between Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka. Everyone else, please make your way up to the spectator's balcony."

Sakura couldn't believe her luck. She had to fight first with everyone watching? She couldn't help but feel a whole flock of butterflies in her stomach. The pink haired kunoichi waved to Naruto, who mouthed 'Good luck' before he joined the other genin.

* * *

Kakashi stood between Naruto and Sasuke on the balcony as he watched Sakura mentally prepare herself for her fight with Ino. He had hoped to get a chance to warn her about showing too much of her abilities in the preliminary matches. A ninja's greatest ally was surprise, genjutsu users in particular, and he didn't want her to show too much before the main event. He had little doubt that Sakura could beat Ino, but she may have trouble in the Finals if she announced to any prospective opponents that she was a Genjutsu specialist now.

Sakura and Ino stood about ten paces apart, Hayate between them. The jonin raised his hand, looked at both kunoichi, then gave them the signal to begin. The moment Hayate had leapt out of the way, Sakura closed the distance between her and Ino. The clear ring of metal on metal echoed off the stone walls of the arena as Ino barely raised her kunai in time to block Sakura's initial attack. However, the blonde was left gasping for air by a powerful knee to her midsection. The blow was quickly followed up by a backhand to the face that sent Ino sprawling.

Ino was on her feet in a flash, leaping nimbly back in a desperate attempt to put some distance between herself and Sakura, but the pink haired genin was already on her pushing her steadily back with a flurry of quick kunai strikes that Ino barely blocked.

The blonde seemed surprised by Sakura's relentless assault, but Kakashi wasn't. Sakura wanted to prove herself as a kunoichi, and she wasn't going to be denied by a childhood rival. It seemed that Sakura knew her taijutsu far outstripped the blonde's, and she wasn't going to give Ino the chance to perform any jutsu.

Kakashi winced slightly as Sakura caught Ino with a vicious kick to the face. The blow had undoubtedly broke her nose. His genin followed up with a leg sweep that put her opponent on her back.

"Impressive, Kakashi. You've really been training your students hard, I see," Asuma said beside him. "I had expected this match to be more even."

Kakashi shrugged. "I didn't." Ignoring the look of surprise from his cigarette smoking colleague, Kakashi continued. "I'm just glad that Sakura's holding back what she's truly capable of."

Asuma's eyes widened. "This is her holding back?"

Kakashi nodded. "It's good that she realised that showing off here is useless," he said, giving Naruto, who had been listening intently, a strong look. "Doing just enough to win is the key. The preliminaries are a zero-sum game. It doesn't matter how you win, just that you do. No one is judging these matches, so showing off will get you nowhere. In fact, it may harm your chances of being promoted."

"Because it would give someone time to strategize against me?"

"Exactly so," Kakashi said approvingly, turning his attention back on the match, where Sakura was pummeling Ino repeatedly in the stomach. Sakura finished the combination with leaping kick to the side of the head that knocked the Yamanaka girl out cold.

* * *

"Winner, Sakura Haruno!"

Sakura watched as a team of medic nin attended to Ino. She hadn't wanted to be so brutal with her old friend, but she'd had little choice. She had known that giving a Yamanaka any chance to breath and use their family jutsu was a mistake, so she'd pressed Ino the entire fight.

Breathing heavily, she mounted the stairs leading toward where Naruto was loudly cheering. She allowed herself a small smile at her boisterous teammate's antics. His outspoken personality was one of the things she liked most about him. He always knew what to do to make her smile.

Her smile disappeared as she passed Sasuke, however. The dark eyed Uchiha merely glared at her as she passed and took a position next to Naruto.

"Great job! You had her on the ropes the whole time!"

Sakura allowed herself a small grin. "I don't think she's trained much since the Academy, to be honest. What has she been doing?"

Naruto just shrugged and watched as the medic nin carried Ino off on a stretcher. "Probably trying to get dates out of Kiba."

Sakura nodded. "Succeeding, actually. They're a couple now, didn't you know?"

"Really? How can she stand him for more than five minutes at a time?"

"Well, that's what she told me last night. Apparently he's a great kisser," Sakura added, ignoring Naruto's disgusted look.

"The next match will be between Rock Lee and Tenten. Combatants, please make your way to the arena." Hayate's monotone voice carried throughout the hall, only to be overshadowed by a loud shout of joy.

"Finally! I thought I'd have to wait forever!" Rock Lee was literally jumping for joy, while his teammate Tenten rolled her eyes.

"Good luck, Lee!" Their sensei shouted. The man was dressed identically to his young student, down to matching bowl cuts.

"Well, that's a little tactless," Sakura commented as Lee leapt down to the arena floor. Tenten took the stairs.

Naruto nodded. "Sensei shouldn't pick favorites," he agreed. "Could you imagine if Kakashi-sensei only bothered to support one of us while pawning our training off on others?"

(**A/N: Sorry, couldn't resist ;)**)

* * *

Sasuke watched the fight between Rock Lee and Tenten intently, trying to ignore Naruto and Sakura's byplay. The two fighters seemed evenly matched. Lee kept trying to close the distance between them, but Tenten seemed just as determined to keep the spandex-clad genin at a distance.

Sasuke couldn't blame her. Lee's taijutsu was excellent. He may look like a wierdo, but she couldn't fault his form. The few blows he had managed to inflict on Tenten had been devastating, and the last Uchiha could read the writing on the wall. There was no way that the weapons mistress could match Lee's speed and power, so unless she landed a critical blow, Tenten would be defeated rather quickly.

However, Sasuke had to admire the weapons mistress's skill with her chosen form of attack. The brunette's aim was impeccable, and it was only Lee's sheer speed that had saved him from becoming a human pincushion. Sasuke begrudgingly admitted that she might have had some trouble avoiding Tenten's barrage of weapons.

Lee, however, was simply smiling as he wove his way through a hail of shuriken, only to meet Tenten in the middle of the arena. She was wielding a naginata in both hands, swinging the weapon in wide, sweeping arcs that forced Lee to keep his distance. The taijutsu user flipped over her head with ease, landing a bone shattering kick to the back of her head. Tenten stumbled forward, then leapt out of reach of Lee's follow up blow.

Sasuke was surprised to hear a yawn beside her. "This is boring. She's already lost," Naruto said evenly.

"She seems to be holding her own," Sakura replied. "I think she has a good chance of winning."

_That's because you're stupid_, Sasuke thought viciously. Lee was holding back considerably, most likely out of fear for his teammate's safety. Tenten, on the other hand, was giving the fight everything she had. It seemed that Lee was either unwilling or unable to deliver the finishing blow, and was willing to simply exhaust Tenten's stamina.

"He should finish this," Kakashi said beside her. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, a gesture that Kakashi didn't miss. "By letting the fight go on too long, he's raising the chances that she'll get in a lucky shot that could change the outcome of the battle," he explained.

Sasuke nodded, filing the information away for future use. Lee seemed to have some sort of attachment to her, and while she couldn't match his speed, she could use his feelings to her advantage if they ended up fighting one another.

However, Tenten seemed incapable of capitalizing on Lee's weakness, because she was knocked to the ground again by a flurry of punches that finished with a powerful uppercut. A kunai was pressed to her throat before she could regain her feet.

"Winner: Rock Lee!" Hayate's voice echoed throughout the chamber. Apparently, he had seen enough to call the match in the young genin's favor. Sasuke was unsurprised when the boy started jumping up and down in celebration. Lee seemed incapable of doing anything by halves.

"WAY TO GO, LEE!" His sensei had met him in the middle of the arena and they were hugging and jumping together. Sasuke found the entire picture disgusting.

* * *

Naruto watched Lee celebrate with his sensei, disgusted. Gai's other student had been forgotten as she started collecting her weapons, sealing them as she went. Vaulting over the railing, the blonde landed smoothly behind Tenten.

"What seal are you using?" Naruto asked.

The brunette whirled, her double buns bobbing comically on her head. She regarded him suspiciously. "Master Kenshin's," she replied after a long moment.

"That's a good method. I prefer Sun Shi's myself," he replied. "Want some help?" Tenten seemed momentarily taken aback before extending a spare roll of sealing paper. "Start with the swords, if you would."

Nodding, Naruto took the roll from her outstretched hand and started collecting every sword he could find that littered the battlefield before sealing them using Tenten's preferred method. Kenshin's method was quicker than Sun Shi's, but couldn't hold nearly as much weight per seal. However, it did allow for someone to seal and unseal something very rapidly. Naruto could see why the older girl would prefer it, given the sheer amount of weapons she casually used in battle.

It took the pair nearly ten minutes to clear the arena of all weaponry. It was dull work, but Naruto wasn't about to make her do it by herself. He watched as Tenten sealed the final set of kunai before giving her a nod.

"Thanks," she said as they trudged up the stairs to the viewing balcony.

"Don't mention it. Anyone else could have done the same."

Tenten shook her head. "But no one else did," she argued. "It's appreciated. I didn't catch your name?"

"Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki," he replied, scratching the back of his head.

The brunette cocked her head to the side and offered him a large smile. "It's nice to meet you, Naruto Uzumaki."

* * *

Sakura watched jealously as the pretty brunette chatted up Naruto. The girl didn't seem to realize that Naruto was nice to everybody, and wasn't interested in her. At least, Sakura didn't think he was. He was too hung up on Sasuke, who seemed oblivious to the older girl currently laughing at Naruto's antics.

"Next match: Sasuke Uchiha vs Temari!"

* * *

Sasuke took a deep breath. So she was fighting first, as the Uchiha scion didn't count Sakura's pummeling of Ino as a real fight. Nimbly vaulting the railing, Sasuke walked calmly to stand in front of Hayate.

Temari walked just as calmly, the older kunoichi smirking. Sasuke was unimpressed. The girl carried a large fan, which almost certainly meant she was a wind user. Fire trumped wind, and Sasuke knew quite a few fire jutsu. It seemed stupid to Sasuke to just announce your intentions in such a manner. While a weapon such as a fan could greatly empower certain types of jutsu, a strategic opponent could use such specialization to their advantage.

"Come on, Sasuke! You've got this!" Naruto's voice echoed from the balcony, and Sasuke couldn't help but frown in irritation. She didn't need a cheerleader to distract her.

Hayate stood between Sasuke and Temari, his hand held high. He looked to both kunoichi, then leapt back. "Begin!"

Temari flicked her fan, opening it about a third of its full potential, revealing a single violet circle. "Once the third sun rises, this fight will be over."

"Bring it, bitch."

Sasuke darted forward, kunai in hand. Temari responded by leaping nimbly backwards, swinging her weapon. A powerful gust of wind halted Sasuke's advance forward, but she quickly recovered, rolling to the side to dodge a second blast and activating her Sharingan. The room seemed to pop into clarity, and Sasuke was able to leap over a third blast of wind. She somersaulted over the Sand kunoichi, flashing through a familiar set of hand signs.

"**Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!**" A great ball of flame escaped her lips, arcing toward where Temari was standing, reaching its target just as Sasuke landed. Temari dodged the attack, just as Sasuke had expected, rolling to the side and bringing her fan to bear. Too late, she realized that the fire jutsu had been merely a distraction, and was nearly overwhelmed by a flurry of lightning fast kunai strikes. None of the potentially lethal blows landed, but Sasuke was able to drive her knee into the Sand ninja's sternum.

Temari leapt back again, desperate to put some distance between herself and her opponent, extending her fan to its full potential.

"Done playing, are you?" Sasuke quipped, smirking.

Her opponent frowned. "You're going to pay for that, little girl."

* * *

Kakashi watched his pupil battle the Sand genin. He couldn't help but feel pride in her progress. His entire team's abilities had vastly improved beneath his tutelage, though they still had a long way to go. He knew that he trained his students more than his colleagues, who seemed content to let their genin learn from their families and private study. However, none of his students had a family to teach them. If he hadn't trained them, no one would have. And after what had happened to Obito and Rin... He wasn't willing to allow his students to suffer his prior team's fate.

Sasuke nimbly dodged another barrage of wind blasts, closing the distance to her opponent and landing a brutal series of kicks before finishing with a devastating axe kick that sent Temari reeling. Sasuke literally seemed untouchable, though Kakashi knew that she wasn't. The Uchiha scion was simply better than her opponent, who had little to no Taijutsu skill, and the Sand nin placed too much importance on wind jutsu, which were nowhere near quick enough to hit Sasuke.

Sasuke again cleared the the distance between herself and Temari, and Kakashi could tell that the fight was drawing to a close. The blonde looked battered and weak, breathing heavily. A trickle of blood leaked from the corner of her mouth, while Sasuke remained relatively untouched.

"WINNER! Sasuke Uchiha!" Hayate called the fight to a close, as Temari lay flat on her back, a kunai knife held to her unprotected throat. Kakashi couldn't help but grin as he watched Naruto cheer enthusiastically for his teammate.

"The next match is Naruto Uzumaki against Kiba Inuzaka!"

The room went silent.

* * *

Naruto swallowed. Here it was. His chance to make good on his vow to never again lose to Kiba. He had prepared for this moment for so long, trained so hard, and it was finally here. He had planned to jump the rail as Sasuke had done before him, but now it seemed like he would be trying too hard.

He met Kiba by the stairs, the bigger boy towering over him. Kiba had gotten taller since they last fought, Naruto realized. He was almost as tall as Kakashi now. Akamaru, Kiba's familiar, had grown as well.

"Ready for another beat down, loser?" Kiba muttered under his breath as they descended the stairs. Naruto couldn't think of a response that didn't sound like empty bravado, so he just kept his mouth shut. "No girlfriend to save you this time."

"At least he can get a girlfriend who's not a complete weakling," Sasuke's feminine voice carried up the stairs. "I mean, your girlfriend lasted, what, a minute against Sakura of all people?" Naruto looked down to see the dark haired Sasuke waiting for the pair at the bottom of the stairs. She was glaring at Kiba, her Sharingan still active.

"Whatever, the bitch cheated," Kiba said, though Naruto could tell that Sasuke's barb had struck home. The Inuzaka pushed past Sasuke roughly, stomping his way across the stone floor of the arena to stand next to Hayate.

"Girlfriend?" Naruto asked. "That's… new."

Sasuke rolled her eyes. "Shut up and kick his ass." Naruto nodded and followed Kiba, his footsteps echoing softly off of the stone walls. He took his position across from Kiba, and the two boys glared at each other.

"Ready?" Hayate waited for both combatants to nod. "Begin!"

Naruto immediately formed the Ram seal. "**Shadow Clone Jutsu!**" Four clones appeared in a cloud of smoke around him, each with a kunai drawn.

"This again? I thought you'd have learned your lesson, loser."

Naruto answered with a yell as he and his clones charged at Kiba.

* * *

**A/N: I know I promised the entirety of the Prelim matches… but this was such a good cliffhanger that I couldn't help myself. The next chapter is mostly written, expect it soon. I think that I'll probably keep to shorter chapters for now, to get back in the rhythm of writing regularly.**


	14. Chapter 14

Naruto dashed towards Kiba, his four clones moving into an arrow formation around him. He watched Kiba settle into the Taijutsu stance favored by Inuzaka, crouching low with both hands curled into claws. _'This is my chance… I have to make it count!'_ Naruto thought as his first clone slid low to the ground, aiming for the taller boy's knees. Kiba flipped over the attack, using the momentum to land a devastating axe kick on the next clone, but Naruto paid it no mind. His minions were unlimited and disposable.

Kiba dodged a roundhouse from Naruto's third clone, but the blonde smiled as his first doppleganger recovered from his sliding kick and grabbed the Inuzaka from behind, lacing its arms under Kiba's shoulders in a full nelson. The hold was even more effective due to the vast height difference between the two boys, as Kiba was bent over backwards. The Inuzaka's eyes widened in panic as Naruto swung a haymaker at his unprotected face.

The blow landed heavily, and Kiba's eyes glazed over momentarily, but Naruto wasn't finished yet. He and his two remaining clones took turns landing the heaviest punches and kicks they could think of, punishing Kiba's face and body. Naruto could see the Inuzaka's stamina quickly draining. Just a few more hits, and Kiba would be down for the count. However, Kiba wasn't fighting alone. Akamaru, who Naruto had assumed was just a pet, flew into a rage, savagely biting the clone that was holding Kiba. The clone dispelled in a puff of smoke, and Kiba leapt clumsily backwards, dropping a pair of smoke bombs to cover his retreat. The last thing Naruto saw before the smoke enveloped him was Kiba forming a hand seal.

* * *

"YEAH! SHOW HIM, NARUTO!"

Sakura was excited, leaning over the balcony railing as she cheered on her crush. Naruto had gone on the offensive early and had dealt some serious damage to Kiba. The larger boy was panting heavily as he crouched low, his fingers forming a single hand seal.

"**Ninja Art: All Fours Jutsu!"**

Sakura's emerald eyes widened as Kiba placed his hands on the ground, his features becoming slightly beast like. The transformation lasted only lasted a moment before Kiba was on all fours. Naruto had yet to appear from the smoke grenade, and the rosette hoped that her teammate had something up his sleeve.

"This is it for Naruto." A female voice behind her said. Sakura turned, prepared to lecture the speaker, only to find that it was Kiba's Jonin Sensei. The woman was wearing more bandages than clothing, showing more skin than was decent, and had red eyes that reminded Sakura strongly of the Sharingan, minus the tomoe's. Sakura vaguely remembered the woman's name… Kurenai… something. She had only heard it the one time during Team placement. "This is one of Kiba's strongest attacks. It greatly increases his strength and speed. There's no way your student will be able to keep up, Kakashi." Sakura desperately wanted to punch the satisfied smirk off of the older woman's face.

Sakura looked to her sensei, who was standing beside the red eyed woman. "You know what they say about counting and chickens, Kurenai," Kakashi said, obviously unworried as he gave his colleague his trademarked eye-smile. Sakura anxiously turned back to the fight, her stomach in knots. If this Jutsu was as strong as Kurenai had claimed, Naruto might be in serious trouble. Kiba's transformation was finally complete, and the large teen had taken on a feral appearance. His canines had lengthened, his muscles had bulged, and his fingernails had sharpened themselves into claws. Sakura couldn't help but gasp as she lost sight of Kiba almost immediately. '_Naruto IS in trouble… Kiba is so fast!'_

A loud _crack_ echoed through the arena as a yellow and blue bullet sailed out of the now dissipating smoke, skipping once, twice, thrice, then rolling to a stop. Sakura immediately recognized the figure as Naruto, who slowly climbed to his hands and knees while spitting out a mouthful of blood. However, his opponent was going to give him any time to recover. In the blink of an eye, Kiba was standing over him, planting an elbow square into the middle of Naruto's back. The blonde slammed into the ground, but before he could even think of regaining his feet, Kiba had punted him halfway across the room. The ex-Jinchuriki landed face down, unmoving.

Sakura's heart leapt into her throat. Had Naruto… lost? "Come on, Naruto! Get up!" She said under her breath. "Get up!" Little did she know that a certain Hyuuga heiress was about twenty feet away, thinking the exact same thing.

* * *

"Get up, Loser!" Kiba mocked as he walked towards Naruto's fallen form.

Sasuke smirked. She didn't think that anyone else had seen Naruto's hand dip into one of the pouches on his waist as he rolled to a stop after Kiba's brutal kick. She wouldn't have seen it herself if she hadn't activated her Sharingan to follow the Inuzaka's movements. The last Uchiha had an inkling of what Naruto was up to, and she couldn't wait to see the look on Kiba's and Kurenai's faces. She momentarily wished that she had Sakura's photographic memory so she could capture the moment forever.

As Kiba neared Naruto, Sasuke tensed. '_Any moment now.'_ The Inuzaka was laughing as he pulled Naruto up, grasping the boy by his hood. Naruto still had not moved an inch.

* * *

Naruto forced himself to remain limp. He'd only get one shot at this, and it was his only chance. Kiba's** All Fours Jutsu** was too powerful: the boy was too quick. However, he had something special for people who liked to move too fast.

The blonde felt Kiba lift him up and fought a smirk that tried to rise to his lips. This was gonna be good.

* * *

"The little guy fought well, but he is horribly outclassed," Temari said as she watched the fight disinterestedly. Gaara growled. He had been sure that Uzumaki had been a tough competitor, that the boy's blood was worthy of his Mother, but it looked like the blonde was all talk. The Uchiha, on the other hand, now _she_ might be able to prove his existence.

* * *

Shikamaru sighed. "This is troublesome. I was sure that Naruto was tougher than this."

"Well, he started off well," Chouji Akimichi mumbled through a mouth of potato chips. "I don't think I've seen anyone but Sasuke give Kiba so much trouble."

Shikamaru shook his head. He had to be missing something. There's no way that Naruto would go down after a couple of hits. Giving up wasn't in his vocabulary. "There's gotta be something… Kiba's strong, but I don't think Naruto's down for the count, yet."

Chouji shrugged. "Well if he's going to do something, he'd better do it now. Kiba's about to take his head off."

'_Come on, Naruto._'

* * *

Sakura didn't think she could watch Kiba beat up Naruto again. After all the training he'd done, after all the things he'd accomplished, she couldn't help but feel a gaping hole in her chest as she watched Kiba lift her friend into the air.

"COME ON, NARUTO! SNAP OUT OF IT!" Sakura shouted at the top of her voice.

* * *

"I told you, Kakashi," Kurenai said, still smirking. "Your student is good, but he's no match for Kiba."

Kakashi ignored her. She hadn't seen what he had, obviously. Naruto had palmed something as he went down. If it was what Kakashi thought it was, then this fight was going to turn around in a hurry.

* * *

"**Sealing Art: Weight of the Earth!"** Naruto shouted, slamming the sealing tag in his hand against Kiba's chest and pushing his chakra through it. The tag glowed purple for a moment before dissolving into the Inuzaka's jacket. Kiba let go of him immediately as the effects of the seal took hold, falling to his knees as he strained against the unexpected weight. Naruto didn't give him any time to recover as he landed on his feet, cocking his fist back.

"Wax on…" Naruto shouted, reveling in the fear that filled Kiba's eyes.

_CRACK!_

"Wax off!" Kiba flew backwards as the punch punished his jaw, skipping once across the stone floor before finally coming to a rest, flat on his back. The dark haired boy tried to get up, but between the beating he'd been given and the **Weight of the Earth**, the Inuzaka was unable to regain his footing. Naruto breathed deeply, relieved that he'd have a moment to recover from Kiba's **All Fours Jutsu**.

"Who's the loser now?" Naruto shouted as he calmly walked towards his fallen opponent. It took a herculean effort, but he managed to hide the pain that coursed through him with every step. The blonde Genin was sure that Kiba had broken something with that last kick.

The Inuzaka glared at him, finally able to push himself onto one knee. Kiba was bleeding heavily from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes still seemed slightly glassy. "You're still the loser here, Naruto! There's no way that I'm going to lose to a dead last like you!"

"You sure about that?" Naruto replied, narrowing his cerulean gaze. "You're on your last legs! All these years, you've thought you were better than me! Now look at you! You can't even stand!"

Kiba smirked. "I don't have to." Kiba began digging into one of his pouches. Naruto wasn't about to give him a chance to use whatever ace the brown haired boy had up his sleeve. Ignoring the pain in his chest, Naruto dove towards Kiba, tackling him back to the ground. However, he was a moment too late, as a small pellet bounced across the ground… Directly towards Akamaru. The puppy sniffed the pellet for a moment before devouring it whole.

"Dude, your dog just ate that!" Naruto shouted, worried about the small animal's health.

Kiba laughed from beneath the blonde. "That was the plan."

"Wha-?" Naruto was interrupted by a ferocious bark and a crazed Akamaru that rammed him right in his injured ribs and knocked him off of Kiba. Naruto, gasping in pain, held his side as he lay on the ground.

* * *

"That shouldn't be legal! Naruto had this fight won!"

Sakura was livid. Why was Kiba allowed what amounted to a 2-on-1 advantage? Brushing her hair over one shoulder, the rosette turned to her sensei, demanding an answer with her gaze. Kakashi just gave her an odd look before turning his attention back to the fight.

"You know as well as I do that the Inuzaka's canine companions count as a ninja tool in all official tourneys and fights, Sakura," the Jonin replied after a moment. "You notice that Naruto didn't complain the first time that Akamaru interfered in the fight, correct?" Sakura nodded. "He's been itching for a fight with Kiba for a while. He's obviously done his homework and knows that Kiba and Akamaru are a package deal."

"Well, it's still an unfair advantage if you ask me!" Sakura retorted. "Kiba gets a 2-on-1 matchup against anyone he fights!"

"And Naruto could have a hundred to one matchup if he so chose," Kakashi replied levelly.

Kurenai gave her colleague a hard look. "And how is that?"

Kakashi just shrugged. "Shadow Clones."

Kurenai started laughing. "There's no way a Genin could create a hundred Clones! Get real, Kakashi!"

Kakashi just chuckled. "Naruto can make a lot more than a hundred. I don't think even he knows how many he could make. After all, his chakra is virtually limitless."

* * *

Naruto panted as he lay on the ground. '_Just tune out the pain,' _he thought. '_Get up. Kick the dog. Hard. Beat up Kiba before he can start adjusting to the extra weight. 100% fool proof plan to victory.'_

He focused on Step One, tuning out the pain. He took several deep breaths, feeling the pain shift to the back burner of his mind with every exhale. Time for Step Two. Rolling over on his side, he rested his weight on his uninjured side and pushed, managing to prop himself up on his hands and knees.

"What did you do to me, loser?!" Kiba yelled, still struggling to stand. Naruto didn't bother to answer, focused as he was on getting on his own feet. "Well, whatever it is, it's not going to work! Akamaru and I can still beat you! **Ninja Art: All Fours Jutsu!**"

Naruto finally stood, just in time to see Kiba do the same, the taller boy using his strength enhancing Jutsu to counteract the **Weight of the Earth** seal. Naruto felt a trickle of blood drip it's way from beneath his headband. It carved its way through the scar over his eye before sliding down and dripping off his chin. Naruto formed the Ram Seal, shouting out the name of his favorite Jutsu as Kiba flew through a set of hand seals.

"**Shadow Clone Jutsu!"**

"**Ninja Art: Man Beast Clone!"**

Two Shadow Clones poofed into existence, flanking either side of their creator, as a shroud of smoke surrounded Akamaru. The smoke cleared almost immediately, revealing what appeared to be a second Kiba.

"Your clones have nothing on this Jutsu, Naruto! Akamaru now has access to the same strength, speed and Jutsu that I do, and he doesn't have to deal with the weird Jutsu you used on me!" The transformed canine took this as a signal to attack. Akamaru vanished from sight, only to reappear to directly in front of the blonde, landing a brutal punch that sent him flying. When he finally came to a stop, Naruto hurt everywhere.

He had no idea what to do. His **Weight of the Earth** seal wasn't going to work a second time and there was no way he could keep up with Akamaru's enhanced speed… But maybe he didn't have to. Rising to one knee, Naruto formed the Ram seal again.

"**Multi-Shadow Clone Jutsu!"** Several hundred clones appeared between the blonde and Akamaru, whose eyes widened at the army standing in front of him.

The man-puppy turned back to its master, looking for orders. "Just go through 'em, Akamaru! They're weak… Just like he is!"

With a roar that caused the stone floor to tremble, the clones charged. Akamaru tensed, getting into a combat stance… As the clones simply thundered around the confused puppy. Instead they had their sights set on the vulnerable Kiba. "Get Naruto! I'll deal with this!" Kiba shouted.

Naruto smirked. Kiba knew the score. They each had an advantage, an ally (or army) that the other wouldn't be able to overcome. Kiba wouldn't be able to fend off the clone army that surrounded him, and Naruto wouldn't be able to keep up with the transformed Akamaru. Now the only question was… Who would remain conscious the longest? Naruto knew that if there was one thing he was good at, it was taking a beating.

He didn't even try to fight Akamaru. Instead, he curled up into a defensive ball, refusing to call out as Akamaru pummeled him again and again, sending him tumbling around the stone floor. He knew that Kiba wasn't faring worse. The idiot had tried to fight the clones instead of protect himself. Now the Inuzaka was receiving the beating of his life. Two clones had pinned his arms to the ground as clone after clone stomped and kicked the taller Genin.

"ENOUGH!" A voice shouted over the cacophony of clones. It was Hayate. The Jonin walked over to the fallen Naruto. The still-transformed Akamaru backed away as the proctor stood over the blonde. "Are you conscious?"

"Yeah…" Naruto replied weakly, his voice gravelly.

"Can you stand?"

"... Maybe."

"Then get up," the Jonin did not look amused. He walked towards Kiba, the mass of clones parting to let him through. "Are you conscious?" Naruto could hear Hayate ask the question, if only faintly. He couldn't hear Kiba's response. "Can you stand? Then get up." Hayate walked to the center of the ring as both boys started to try and find a way to rise.

Naruto didn't know if he could stand again. The mere thought of putting himself through that much pain made him cringe. He was out of… everything. Well, everything but chakra, but he never ran out of that. He felt battered all over. Placing the arm that hurt the least on the ground, he couldn't help but cry out as pain lanced through his entire body. Darkness closed in on the edges of his vision.

"GET UP LOSER!"

Sasuke… That was Sasuke's voice, right? Couldn't she see he was trying to take a nap? He craned his neck and saw the beautiful Uchiha glaring at him, her dark eyes roiling with emotion.

"I SAID, GET UP!"

Man, she was beautiful, especially when she was angry. Which was good, because she was mad _a lot_. Even when she had been trying to kill him and Sakura in the forest, her perfect features and ebony hair had struck him as the most gorgeous thing in the entire world. Well, if this Goddess of Vengeance demanded that he stand, who was he to argue?

He put weight on his best arm, pushing himself off the ground. He ordered one of his legs to take his weight, and surprisingly enough, it did. The other foot shortly followed, and albeit slowly and clumsily, Naruto found himself standing. The world went in and out of focus intermittently, and the darkness at the edge of his vision threatened to overwhelm him at any moment, but by Kami he was standing. And now that he was on his feet, he found he wasn't injured half as bad as he had thought. He looked towards Kiba, who was still on his hands and knees.

"You have ten seconds to find your footing before the match resumes. No clones, no animal companions, no Jutsu. Taijutsu only. The first fighter knocked unconscious or unable to rise will lose. I will not allow this… circus… to continue," Hayate looked towards Naruto. "I'm trying to decide if your strategy was either one of the most clever or most idiotic I've seen."

Naruto shrugged, wincing. "I get that a lot. It's a fine line."

Hayate looked towards Kiba, who was still on his hands and knees. "Your time is up. Do you yield?"

"No! I won't lose to him!" Kiba spat. "I'm an Inuzaka, one of the most powerful clans in the Leaf Village. He's nothing but an orphan! He's so pathetic even his useless parents didn't want anything to do with him! They'd rather die than have to spend a single moment with such a fucking loser!" Gasps could be heard from the upper balcony.

Hayate sighed as he turned back to Naruto. If looks could kill, Kiba would have been dead on the spot. "You may resume."

The blonde nodded as he limped towards Kiba. The fifty feet between them felt more like a mile. Kiba managed to get one foot beneath him. Thirty feet. Kiba had finally started to stand. Ten feet. The Inuzaka stood mostly upright, swaying slightly. One arm hung uselessly at his side. The other took a swing as Naruto neared, but Kiba's depth perception must have been off, because the blonde wasn't anywhere close to being within range. The weak punch whiffed a full foot in front of Naruto's face. He didn't even have to dodge, and the missed blow left Kiba overextended. Naruto, never one to pass up such an easy opportunity, grabbed Kiba's good arm and slammed his palm into the vulnerable elbow joint. The joint broke with a sickening crackling sound.

"My arm! You bastard! You broke my fucking arm!" Kiba howled. The Inuzaka started to fall, but Naruto grabbed a fistful of his jacket and kept him up. The ex-Jinchuriki cocked his fist back and nailed Kiba directly between the eyes, breaking Kiba's nose with a fountain of blood. Kiba's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he lost consciousness. The blonde prepared to give him another blow, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

"It's over," Hayate said. Nodding, Naruto dropped Kiba to the ground and tried not to take pleasure as he watched the boy's head bounce off the stone floor.

"The winner is: Naruto Uzumaki!" That was the last thing that Naruto heard as the darkness, no longer content with hovering around the edge of his vision, enveloped him in its warm embrace.

* * *

**And that is Chapter 14. Leave me a review to let me know what you thought! I hope that it met all of the sky-high expectations you guys had for the highly anticipated rematch!**

**To answer the question I know is coming: Why didn't Kiba use the Fang over Fang? The simple answer is: He didn't think he had to... and then he couldn't. He was pummeling Naruto with only the All Fours Jutsu. Then, the Weight of the Earth Seal effectively disabled the Jutsu. There was no way he could use a Jutsu that required so much mobility, and he knew it. The reason Akamaru didn't use the Fang Whirlwind is simple: He wasn't ordered to. At the end of the day, he's a dog. He'll attack without command if Kiba is in trouble, but he won't use specific Jutsu without being ordered to do so. I hope this clears this up and keeps me from getting asked this a dozen times in the reviews.**

**I hope to have the next chapter out soon, and I apologize for the delay on this one. I'm done making promises about updates, because I'm obviously horrible at keeping them.**


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